Badrinath temple opens for devotees; Chardham Yatra begins

Dehradun, May 12

The doors of the Badrinath temple in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand opened for devotees on Sunday after remaining closed during the winter season.

With the opening of the shrine, the Chardham Yatra to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri has started.

The doors of the Badrinath temple were opened amid the chanting of Vedic mantras, a puja and beats of dhols and nagadas, authorities said.

Scores of devotees had gathered on the premises of the temple, which was decked up with flowers, to witness the ceremony despite rain. The process of opening the doors began at 4 am.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami greeted the people on the occasion.

The doors of the Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri temples opened for devotees on Akshaya Tritiya on Friday.

Till 4 pm on Saturday, 7,37,885 people had registered online for a darshan at Badrinath, according to official data. Last year, 18,39,591 people had visited the shrine.