Gopeshwar (Uttarakhand): The sacred portals of Hemkund Sahib, one of the most revered Sikh shrines in the Garhwal Himalayas, will reopen for devotees on Saturday morning.
The Himalayan shrine is closed annually for the winter season during which the area becomes snow-bound and difficult to access.

Garhwal Commissioner BVRC Purushottam flagged off the first batch of around 8,000 pilgrims from the Govind Ghat Gurudwara for the Himalayan shrine on Friday after the recital of Akhand Sahib, the Sikh holy book, senior manager of the management trust of the temple Seva Singh said.

Located at a height of over 15,000 ft above the sea level, and about 21 km away from Govind Ghat, Hemkund Sahib was built near a lake where the 10th guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, is said to have performed tapasya (meditation).

Devotees have to undertake a steep trek of around 18 km beyond Pulna to reach the shrine which is shut every year during winter.

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