Prime Minister attended the annual gate opening ceremony of the holy Kedarnath shrine on Wednesday morning.

Modi offered prayers at the Shiva temple and did 'rudrabhishek' which involves bathing the Shiva Linga with Ganges water, milk and honey, among others.

After offering prayers at Kedarnath Temple, Prime Minister greeted the crowd gathered outside the temple.

Around 2,500 devotees have reached Kedarnath on the opening day to offer their prayers to the holy shrine.

Modi reached the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun early today and from here started his journey for Kedarnath, the four major sites in India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage of Northern Himalayas.

He is the first Prime Minister of the country who visited the Kedarnath temple on the opening day.

Modi reached Kedarnath at around 9:15 am on Wednesday.

The doors of the Kedarnath temple has been thrown open for devotees from today after six-month long break.  

Kedarnath was devastated in the 2013 flash floods and heavy rains, when thousands of people were killed and hundreds went missing.

After his Kedarnath visit, Modi has reached Haridwar where he met Yog Guru Baba Ramdev and inaugurated the Patanjali Research Institute.

Uttarakhand Governor Shri KK Paul, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and other dignitaries welcomed Modi to the state.