केदारनाथ closed the gate for the winter - the shrine was moved to the lower monastery
The high-altitude temple केदारनाथ in the Himalayas has been officially closed to visitors for the next six months. The conservation procedure was carried out on the morning of the festival भाईदूज. The head priest गंगाधर लिंग महाराज said that after the dawn ceremony of Maha-abhishek and special prayers, the deity was put into a state of samadhi, and at exactly 8:30 a.m. the main doors were closed.
Immediately after the gates were closed, the festive burden with the deity (utsav-doli) set off to the music of a military band down the mountain route to the ओंकारेश्वर मंदिर temple in the town of उखीमठ. It is there that regular services will be held throughout the winter for the faithful who have gathered for the event from different parts of India and abroad.
Mobile patrols and an honor guard were deployed to ensure the safety of the winter crossing. According to the head of the रुद्रप्रयाग निहारिका तोमर district police, the empty complex केदारनाथ in the mountains will be guarded by police officers and a platoon भारत-तिब्बत सीमा पुलिस (ITBP) throughout the winter. The sanctuary is planned to be reopened next spring for the अक्षय तृतीया holiday.
Source: केदारनाथ के कपाट हुए बंद, अब बाबा ऊखीमठ के ओंकारेश्वर मंदिर में देंगे दर्शन - India TV Hindi
Context
Kedarnath Temple is located in the Garhwal Himalayas near the headwaters of the Mandakini River at an altitude of about 3,580 meters above sea level. There is no road connection to the complex, so the way there involves a hike of more than 16 kilometers from the village of Gaurikund.
Due to heavy snowfalls and frosts, the high-altitude shrine is preserved for the cold season, and worship is transferred approximately 2,200 meters below - to the town of उखीमठ. The temple ओंकारेश्वर मंदिर in this valley serves not only as the winter residence of केदारनाथa, but also as a permanent residence for the traditional caste of the shrine's chief priests - the Ravals.