GUWAHATI: The entrance gate for the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand was spotted adorned with the Assamese Jaapi on Tuesday.
In a remarkable exhibition of art and culture at the Kedarnath shrine, up to 20,000 quintals of flowers were also used to beautify the temple.
The Assamese Jaapi is a conical bamboo hat covered in colourful fabrics. It, like gamusa, symbolises the honour and dignity of the people of Assam.
It should be noted that the revered Kedarnath Dham opened its doors to pilgrims on Tuesday morning to the sound of shlokas (hymns) and thunderous drumbeats. Kedarnath Dham is considered one of the country's holiest pilgrimage sites.
However, the Uttarakhand state government has paused the process of receiving pilgrim registration applications for the Kedarnath Dham Yatra.
The decision was made in light of severe snowfall on the pilgrimage path and after the Meteorological Department issued weather warnings for the next few days.
According to an official statement, the weather in Kedarghati is likely to continue unfavourable this week, as per media reports.
"The weather is expected to remain bad in Kedarghati for the next one week," according to the statement, as quoted by media reports.
"Registration of pilgrims for the Kedarnath pilgrimage has been halted due to three to four feet of snow on the Kedarnath pedestrian route and Dham, as well as the Meteorological Department's warning," the notification continued.