Badrinath (Uttarakhand) (The Uttam Hindu): The doors of the revered Badrinath Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, will close for the winter season at 9:07 p.m. on Sunday. The conclusion of the pilgrimage season was determined on Vijayadashami, based on traditional celestial alignments. More than 10,000 devotees visited the temple on Saturday to seek the blessings of Lord Badri Vishal. A series of significant rituals were performed, with hundreds of kilos of offerings prepared to honour the season's conclusion.
On Friday, November 15, the third day of the closure process, the chanting of Vedic verses, known as Veda Richas, ceased, signifying the temple's transition into its winter phase. This symbolic act follows the formal handover of the Veda Upanishads to the temple's Rawal (chief priest) and Dharmadhikari (religious head). The week-long closure rituals began with the doors of Shri Ganesh Temple closing on November 13, followed by the Adi Kedareshwar and Adi Guru Shankaracharya temples. These activities are part of the Panch Puja, a comprehensive ritual preparing the temple complex for the long winter.
The Khatag Puja ritual, a significant event in the Panch Puja, was completed on Friday. This was followed by a Kadhai Bhog offering to Goddess Lakshmi at her temple, accompanied by prayers for the safe return of Lord Badrinath to the sanctum sanctorum. The Char Dham temples of Uttarakhand -- Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath -- are all set to close their doors for the winter season, marking the end of the 2024 pilgrimage. Gangotri, dedicated to Goddess Ganga, was the first to close on November 2. Yamunotri, honouring Goddess Yamuna, and Kedarnath, dedicated to Lord Shiva, followed suit on November 3, coinciding with Bhai Dooj.
The Kedarnath Temple, adorned with over 10 quintals of flowers, held a grand ceremony for its closure. Other significant shrines in Uttarakhand have also closed for the winter. Rudranath closed on October 17, Tungnath on November 4, and Madhyamaheshwar is set to close on November 20. The doors of Bhakunta Bhairavnath, the protector deity of Kedarnath, were shut on October 29.
These closures, traditionally set during the Dussehra festival, are vital for preserving the temples and their surroundings through the harsh winter months. The temples will reopen in April or May, ready to welcome devotees for the 2025 pilgrimage season. The Char Dham Yatra, a sacred pilgrimage attracting thousands of devotees each year, proceeds in a clockwise sequence through Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. The seasonal closures ensure the sanctity and upkeep of these holy sites, allowing them to reopen afresh in the spring.