Portals of Badrinath open, temple adorned with 15 tonnes of flowers

Amid vedic chants, the doors of the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu were opened at 6 am

Badrinath: The portals of the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district were opened for devotees on Sunday after a six-month closure. Amid vedic chants, the doors of the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu were opened at 6 am. Fifteen tonnes of flowers of various varieties adorned the temple and an Indian Army played devotional music on the occasion.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State unit president Mahendra Bhatt and Tehri MLA Kishore Upadhyay were also present on the occasion.

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A special worship was first performed in the temple by the chief priest of Badrinath Dham, Rawal, Dharmadhikari and Vedpathis. Along with the main temple, the doors of Ganesh, Ghantakarna, Adi Kedareshwar, Adi Guru Shankaracharya Temple and Mata Murti Temple situated in the Badrinath Dham have also been opened for the devotees.

Officials here said the local administration has completed all the necessary preparations to make the journey to the Dham safe and smooth. With the opening of the doors of Badrinath, this year’s Char Dham Yatra has started in full swing.

Every year after Diwali, the doors of the Char Dhams — Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri — are closed for devotees. The portals reopen in April-May the following year.

During the six-month-long pilgrimage, lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad visit the Char Dhams. The portals of Himalayan temple Kedarnath were opened on Friday last. Gangotri and Yamunotri temples were opened on April 30.