The Badrinath Temple in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, will close today at
2:56 PM for the winter, marking the end of this year’s Char Dham Yatra. Many
devotees are visiting Badrinath to witness the ceremonial closure.
According to reports, the temple has been decorated with around 12 tonnes of
flowers for the occasion. The Panch Pujas began on November 21, and the recitation
of Vedic hymns has now finished after closing the Ganesh Temple, Adi Kedareswar,
and Adi Guru Shankaracharya Gaddi site. A special prayer was also held at the
Lakshmi Temple yesterday.
This year’s Char Dham Yatra started on April 30. The other temples—Kedarnath,
Gangotri, and Yamunotri—have already closed. A record number of pilgrims visited
this year, with 51 lakh devotees attending the Char Dham shrines, up from 48 lakh
last year. Badrinath alone saw over 16.5 lakh visitors.