The portals of the Badrinath shrine were reopened to the public at 4:05 am on Monday amidst Vedic chanting and rituals in the presence of a large number of devotees. Before the portals of the shrine were opened, the idols of Kuber and Uddhav were installed in the sanctum sanctorum, while the idol of Goddess lakshmi was shifted from the sanctum sanctorum to the lakshmi temple.
Devotees thronged the shrine to get a glimpse of the Akhand Jyoti which is lit when the portal is closed to the public in winters and is still found burning when the shrine is reopened about six months later. The Akhand Jyoti is seen as one of the miracles of lord Vishnu visible at Badrinath.
The devotees who reach Badrinath on the day of its reopening choose this occasion mainly to get a glimpse of the Akhand Jyoti. Though thousands of pilgrims reach Badrinath every year on the day of its reopening, this year, the number of devotees present on the occasion was considerably less due to the June 2013 disaster experienced in Uttarakhand. Earlier, the weather took a turn on Sunday evening with snowfall on the high peaks surrounding Badrinath which increased the cold here. However, the weather failed to dampen the spirits of the devotees who congregated at the shrine which was decked in garlands of marigold flowers.