Meeting to decide on date to resume Kedarnath prayers to be held on August 2

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has convened a meeting of Badri-Kedar Mandir Samiti on August 2 to decide a date for resumption of prayers at Kedarnath where the ritual came to a halt after the natural calamity hit the state last month.

The meeting to take a final call on the purification of Kedarnath shrine and fixing a date for resumption of regular prayers there will be held on August 2 and attended among others by Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati and the Rawal (head priest) of the Himalayan temple Bhimashankar Ling, Bahuguna told reporters here.

The opinion of officials engaged currently in cleaning operations at the shrine will also be taken before deciding a date, he said.

Cleaning of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and its interiors is almost complete but transportation of heavy stone cutting equipment to the shrine to clear the huge quantity of debris lying in the area has been delayed by bad weather, he said.

However, Bahuguna clarified that clearing the debris at the shrine and resumption of regular prayers are separate issues.

Efforts are under way to resume prayers at the shrine at the earliest, he said.

Accounting for the highest casualties, Kedar valley bore the brunt of the 'Himalayan Tsunami' that struck Uttarakhand on June 16-17 but the sanctum sanctorum of the Himalayan shrine remained unharmed.

However, prayers at the high altitude temple have been closed ever since the tragedy occurred last month.