PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Uttarkashi The Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham will be ritually reopened to the public today. The Utsav Dolis of the Goddesses Ganga and Yamuna departed from their maternal homes in Mukhwa and Kharsali villages respectively on Tuesday. The Goddesses stay in these villages during the winter when the main temples are closed to the public. Their Utsav Dolis departed from the villages after elaborate ritual worship. The ceremonies began early in the morning on Tuesday after which the Doli of Goddess Ganga departed from Mukhwa at 11:57 AM amidst Vedic chants. The procession of the Goddess will halt for the night at the Bhairav Mandir in Bhairavghati on Tuesday night and arrive at Gangotri on Wednesday. Similarly, rituals were held at Kharsali early in the morning, after which the Utsav Doli of Goddess Yamuna departed at 8 AM from her maternal home. Her procession departed to the sounds of traditional devotional songs and Vedic chants. It is pertinent to mention here that last year, there was an unprecedented rush of pilgrims in Gangotri and Yamunotri in the initial days of the Char Dham Yatra. The State government officials aver that necessary arrangements have been made for crowd control and other aspects to ensure that the pilgrims do not face any inconvenience. The reopening of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham today will mark the start of the Char Dham Yatra this year.