The Char Dham Yatra of Uttarakhand came to a close with the portals of Badrinath shrine being closed for the public for the winters on Monday. Several devotees were present at the shrine this evening amid Vedic chanting.
Prior to the closing of Badrinath temple’s portals, the Rawal (head priest), dressed as a woman, ceremoniously installed the idol of Goddess lakshmi in the sanctum sanctorum. The idol of lord Badrinath was then covered with a woolen blanket woven by the virgin girls of neighbouring Mana village before the portals of the shrine were closed to the public at 7:38 pm. It is believed that now, the lord will be worshipped by demigods led by celestial sage Narad during the six months of winter when the shrine is closed to the public.
According to the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee CEO BD Singh, this year a total of 4,97,744 persons visited Badrinath while 3,11,262 visited Kedarnath. Though the number of pilgrims visiting these shrines had been rising consistently, the disaster experienced in June disrupted the pilgrimage and curtailed the number of pilgrims this year. Following the disaster, the national highway to Badrinath remained closed to traffic for three months. When the Badrinath shrine reopens for the public next year, the stretch of the highway from lambagad to Venakuli will bear a changed look due to the changes brought about by the disaster.