Portals of Badrinath shrine open, first prayers on behalf of PM Modi

The portals of Badrinath shrine in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand were opened on Tuesday with the first prayers being held on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the welfare and good healh of all. The portals of all the Char Dhams, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri, are now open.

Badrinath:

The portals of Badrinath shrine were opened at 4.15am amid the rituals performed by the priests led by their head known as Rawal. The shrine has been decked up with 20 quintals of flowers. As Char Dham yatra has been postponed, only priests and some officials were present during the ceremony.

Chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat congratulated all devotees on the opening of the portals, appealing to them to offer prayers from their homes.

The portals of the Badrinath shrine were closed in November last year for the winter months following traditional rituals and safety protocols for Covid-19.

According to Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board officials, last year over 145,000 pilgrims visited the Badrinath shrine. Of the 310,000 pilgrims who went for Char Dham Yatra, 134,000 visited Kedarnath, 23,837 visited Gangotri and 7,731 visited Yamunotri.

On April 29, the state government postponed the Char Dham pilgrimage to four of the holiest Hindu shrines in the state, which was scheduled to start on May 14. But portals of the shrines will remain open during the pilgrimage. Portals of the Yamunotri shrine were opened on May 14 and that of Gangotri on May 15. Portals of the Kedarnath shrine opened this Monday, May 17.

Last year also, Char Dham yatra could not begin on schedule because of the lockdown imposed to check the spread of Covid-19. The shrines were opened for local pilgrims on July 1 last year and for those from other states in the last week of that month.

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