Riding a flower-bedecked palanquin, the idol of Lord Shiva left its winter abode in Ukhimath on Monday for the revered Kedarnath shrine in the Garhwal Himalayas, the portals of which are scheduled to reopen for devotees on May 2.

It is a necessary ritual that precedes the reopening of the portals of the Kedarnath temple after being closed during winter. Ukhimath's Shri Omkareshwar Temple is where Baba Kedar is worshipped during winter and shifted back to the Kedarnath temple before the ceremonial opening of its gates.