Following announcement of the date for reopening of the Badrinath shrine, the Rawal (chief priest) of Badrinath temple arrived at Joshimath on Friday after conducting ritual worship at the Narsinh temple here and at the Yogdhyan temple in Pandukeshwar, the Rawal was stated to have headed for the tourist destination Auli. Meanwhile, after a week-long spiritual tour of the region, Union Minister Uma Bharti departed towards Haridwar. During the week she spent in the Joshimath and nearby region, the Union Minister visited various shrines and offered her prayers.
It will be recalled that as per tradition, the date for reopening of the Badrinath temple to the public – May 6 -- was arrived at after ceremonial consultation and astrological calculations based on the Hindu almanac at the residence of the erstwhile royal family of Tehri in Narendranagar on the occasion of Vasant Panchami. The Badrinath temple acting Rawal Easwara Prasad Namboothiri arrived in Joshimath where he offered ritual prayers at the Narsinh temple here and at the Yogdhyan temple in Pandukeshwar after which he also visited the snow-tourism destination Auli. While the Rawal arrived in the region, the Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Uma Bharti departed from the Joshimath area after spending about a week in private spiritual activities.
Put up at the guest house of the Jai Prakash power company while in the Joshimath region, the Union Minister conducted ritual worship at various shrines and places of spiritual import during her week-long visit to this part of Uttarakhand. Keeping her tour a private matter, the union minister maintained a distance from the local media and political workers during her stay which ended with her departure to Haridwar.