The Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand came to an end on Tuesday with the portals of Badrinath shrine being closed to the public for the winter. Pilgrims will be able to pay their obeisance to lord Badrinath at Joshimath during the winters.
According to the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) officials, 5237 pilgrims visited Badrinath on Tuesday when its portals were closed ceremoniously at 3:21 PM.
During the entire Yatra period, a total of 1058490 pilgrims visited Badrinath this year. While the portals of Badrinath shrine were closed ceremoniously on Tuesday, the other deities, Uddhav, Kuber and Adi Shankaracharya’s seat will be taken to the presiding deity’s winter abode on Wednesday.
The portals of Mata Murti temple and Bhavishya Badri temple at Tapovan were also closed to the public for the winter on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Badrinath township was resounding with tunes played by the army band on the occasion. A feast was also organised for the public during the closure of the shrine.
Among devotees and members of the religious fraternity, Swami Avadheshanand, Swami Ramdev and the BJP state president Ajay Bhatt were also present on the occasion.
The closure of Badrinath shrine also marks the end of the Char Dham Yatra season this year with the other shrines- Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri being closed to the public earlier.
However, devotees can pay their obeisance to the presiding deities of these shrines in the temples at various locations where they are ceremoniously worshipped during the winter months.