The Gadu Ghada ceremony is considered to be the start of the ritual process of reopening the Badrinath shrine to the public for the winter.
The erstwhile royal family of Tehri has been handling this ceremony for some centuries now. However, few know about the unique aspect of this tradition which exemplifies the bonds between the devotees and the lord, the affection and care due to which the devotees also accord some human attributes to lord Badrinath. The sesame seed oil extracted ritually is used to anoint the lord daily at dawn in Badrinath. This is done as the oil is considered warm in nature and provides some warmth to the lord in the cold high altitude Himalayan region of Badrinath. The Dharmadhikari, Pundit Bhuwan Uniyal said that the lord is first anointed in the sesame seed oil daily for protection from cold. Only after this is lord Badrinath ritually bathed and worshipped in the shrine.
Traditionally, the erstwhile royal family of Tehri arranges this oil. According to tradition, married women linked to the erstwhile royal family wear yellow saris begin the process of oil extraction in the morning. They undertake a fast and keep their mouths covered with a cloth and spend most of the day extracting enough oil to fill the pot- Gadu Ghada. No machinery is used in the process for extracting the oil which is done using traditional tools and methods. The pot is traditionally taken in a procession through prominent towns in the Garhwal region before reaching Badrinath on the day of the shrine’s reopening for the summer.