Headlines
Rahul in Uttarakhand for Kedarnath trek
Dehradun, April 23
Congress vice president
Rahul Gandhi arrived here on Thursday to begin on Friday his trek to the
revered and ancient Kedarnath shrine in the lower Himalayas.
The
Gandhi scion will trek the last 16 km to the famous temple along with
senior Congress leaders. He will spend Thursday night at Gaurikund.
The
8th century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is situated at an altitude
of 3,581 meters above sea level. The shrine closes in October-November
every year due to snow and reopens in April-May.
The temple is
set amid the stunning Garhwal Himalayas at the head of the Mandakini
river. It suffered extensive damage during the flash floods of 2013 that
killed thousands of people.
Earlier, Gandhi was accorded a grand welcome by leaders of the Congress, which rules Uttarakhand.
Chief
Minister Harish Rawat and his cabinet colleagues Indira Hridyesh,
Yashpal Arya, Dinesh Agarwal and Preetam Singh received him at the
airport.
Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, Gandhi looked relaxed as
he chatted with Congress leaders on the tarmac. He is accompanied by
Ambika Soni and Jitin Prasad on his two-day trip to the hill state.
Gandhi paid floral tributes at the portrait of Veer Chandra Singh Gadwali, a hero in the region.
He
then interacted with the state cabinet on the preparations of the Chaar
Dhaam Yatra which covers the shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri
and Gangotri.
A presentation was done for Gandhi to apprise him
of the rehabilitation and development work undertaken after the 2013
floods that also caused widespread destruction.
Gandhi lauded the
work done by the Uttarakhand government. Later, he left for Gaurikund
from where he will trek to the Kedarnath shrine on Friday.