The portals of Badrinath will be closed to the public for the winters on November 18.
The ceremonial procedure for the closure of the portals began on Thursday with Ganesh Puja and closure of the Ganesh shrine’s portals. The portals of Badrinath will be closed at 7:35 PM on Monday after which the presiding deity of the shrine will be worshipped at the Yogdhyan temple in Pandukeshwar for the duration of winter.
It is believed that lord Badarinath is worshipped by humans at Badrinath for the summer months while demigods worship him during the winter months with the celestial sage Narad as the chief priest when the shrine is closed to the public. The ceremonies for closure of the portals begin five days ahead of the date of closure.
On Friday the doors of the Adi Kedareshwar shrine were closed for the winter. On Sunday, ceremonial prayers will be held at the lakshmi temple and on Monday, the doors of Badrinath will be closed after the Rawal (head priest) dresses up as a woman and drapes the idol of the lord in a woolen blanket woven by the virgin girls of neighbouring Mana village.
On the second day after closure of the shrine, the ceremonial idols of Kuber and Uddhav are brought in a palanquin to Pandukeswhar. The seat of Shankaracharya is brought to the Narsinh temple in Joshimath, where it stays during the winter.