Kedarnath shrine reopens

Dehradun: The sacred portals of the Kedarnath temple were reopened to devotees amid elaborate rituals on Sunday morning, about a year after the Himalayan shrine was marred by flash floods that had left hundreds of people dead and many others stranded. About 1,252 devotees, including eight foreign nationals, visited the shrine on the opening day. It is the first ‘Char Dham’ yatra after last year’s calamity. However, classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj, who was to perform live at the shrine on its opening day, could not come.