INDIA, October 27, 2022 (The Hindu): The work of gold plating the Kedarnath shrine was completed on Wednesday, a day before the portals of the temple are set to close for the winter. According to the temple committee, 560 gold sheets were used to cover the walls and ceiling of the temple’s sanctum which was funded by the Lakhi family from Maharashtra. President of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple, Mr. Ajayendra Ajay told The Hindu that 19 artisans completed the task of gold plating the temple in three days. A six-member team from IIT Roorkee’s Central Building Research Institute guided the process. “The layers of gold were transported to the temple via road through 18 horse mules. The target was to get the gold makeover done before the portals of the temple closes for the winter and we managed to complete it on time,” he added.
The shrine was open for pilgrims from May. In a little over five months of Yatra, 1,555,543 pilgrims have visited the shrine. Over 4,300,000 people have visited the four shrines under the Char Dham in Uttarakhand that include Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The Hindu had published how a Mumbai-based businessman has sought permission to replace the silver plating in the eight-century Kedarnath temple with gold. The donor had agreed to pay the entire renovation process. “We haven’t been told the amount of gold gone in making 560 sheets or the amount that the donor had to bear for the same. All I can say is it was done by the Lakhi family from Maharashtra,” he added.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/gold-makeover-of-kedarnath-temples-sanctum-sanctorum-completed/article66057095.ece