Portals reopened in wee hours

The portals of Badrinath temple were reopened to the public in the wee hours on Monday. The reopening of this portal in Chamoli district for the devotees also marks the full-fledged start of the Char Dham Yatra this year with the portals of Kedarnath, Gangtori and Yamunotri shrines having been opened for the public earlier.

The Badrinath shrine was covered in streams of flowers when it was reopened amidst Vedic chanting and rituals for devotees at 4:30 AM on Monday. The army band was also playing tunes while local women sang and performed folk dance in praise of the lord on the occasion.

Earlier, the processions of Uddhav, Kuber and the seat of Adi Shankaracharya were brought ceremoniously to Badrinath from Pandukeshwar on Sunday. Before the shrine was reopened to the public, the temple was covered in up to 15 quintals of marigold garlands. Devotees had started arriving here in large numbers a day ahead of the reopening of the portals. On Monday, the rituals for reopening the shrine began before dawn. Thousands of people were present to pay obeisance to the lord and witness the Akhand Jyoti- a lamp which burns for the six months when the shrine is closed to the public- after the reopening of the portals.

It is pertinent to mention here that the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines in Uttarkashi district were reopened to the public earlier on April 18. The Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag district was reopened for devotees on Sunday. With the reopening of the Badrinath shrine on Monday, the Char Dham Yatra has started in a full-fledged manner. The Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee head Ganesh Godiyal, Chamoli district magistrate Ashish Joshi, Bharatiya Janata Party state president Ajay Bhatt, district superintendent of police Tripti Bhatt and a large number of devotees were present in Badrinath on the occasion.