Kedarnath mandir in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand closes for winter, usually 2 days after Diwali on Bhaiya Dooj. The Panchamukhi Doli, the swaroop of Lord Shiva, is carried on a palanquin to the Omkareshwar temple at Ukhimath, where worship is maintained through the winter months.
When the doli returns at the end of winter, the kapat or entrance to Kedarnath mandir is opened for worship and darshan at a pre-determined time. The suitable muhurt is traditionally announced on Mahashivaratri by the Badri-Kedar Mandir Committee, and coincides approximately with Akshaya Trithiya.
During the final worship before winter, the shringaar of Baba Kedarnath is of his samadhi form. The bhasma-covered jyotirlingam is dressed in bagambar, and bhringraj flowers, and local leaves and flowers are offered in worship. Then the samadhisht form of Kedarnath-ji is left in solitary splendour surrounded by the snow and ice of the Himalayan winter. This cold remote isolation is associated with His tapasya-swaroop.
Batuk Bhairavnath is invoked as His protector before the doors of Kedarnath mandir are closed.
Of the Panch Kedar, the utsav murti or the form worshipped in ritual worship and during festivals, of Sri Kedarnath and Sri Madhyamaheshwar make their winter abode at Ukhimath.
The doli of Tungnath-ji is brought to Makkumath. Sri Rudranath’s doli is carried to Gopeshwar, where winter worship is maintained. Of the Panch Kedar, only worship of Kalpnath, continues through the year at the Kalpeshwar mandir above Urgam village, which remains accessible through the cold winter months.
On Akshaya Trithiya, among the Char Dham, worship at Gangotri and Yamunotri usually begin, with the opening of both these mandirs.
The doli of Baba Kedarnath is carried in ceremonial procession in a fervour of devotion and a palpable excitement, from Omkareshwar mandir, Ukhimath to Vishwanath mandir, Guptkashi on or around Akshaya Trithiya, the doli stays at Phata the next day, and the doli stays at Gaurikund thereafter. Through the next day, devotees who reach Kedarnath early, decorate the mandir outside with several quintals of flowers made into garlands. Finally, the doli of Baba Kedar reaches its sacred abode at Kedarnath, often amidst snowfall, as cries of Bam Bam Bhole and Har Har Mahadeva rent the air. Early the next morning, the portals at Kedar open and the long-awaited worship of Sri Kedarnath begins anew.