U’khand: Badrinath temple opens for devotees

Dehradun, May 12 (PTI) The doors of the Badrinath temple in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand opened for devotees on Sunday after remaining closed during the winter season.

With the opening of the shrine, the Chardham Yatra to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri has started.

The doors of the Badrinath temple were opened after six months amid the chanting of vedic mantras, a pooja and beats of dhols and nagadas, authorities said.

Scores of devotees had gathered on the premises of the temple, which was decked up with 15 quintals of flowers, to witness the ceremony despite rain. The doors opened at 6 am after two hours of rituals.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami greeted the people on the occasion.

Temple chief priest Rawal Ishwar Prasad Namboodiri, members of the Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee, including its chairperson Ajendra Ajay, and Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana, among others were present.

The pooja to open the doors was performed by Namboodiri in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

The doors of the Kedarnath, Yamyunotri and the Gangotri temples opened for devotees on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya on Friday.

Till 4 pm on Saturday, 7,37,885 people had registered online for a darshan at Badrinath, according to official data. Last year, 18,39,591 people had visited the shrine.