Uttarakhand: Badrinath temple reopens after winter closure; traditional rituals performed

The iconic Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand's upper Himalayan region reopened early on Tuesday, May 18, after the winter break amid traditional rituals. Ishwar Prasad Namboodiri, the temple's chief priest, opened the temple's entrances at 4.15 am, singing Vedic hymns and praying for everyone's well-being.

Badrinath opens after winter closure

The opening ceremony, however, was a low-key affair, with just a few people in attendance, including priests, Dharmadhikaris, and administrative officials, in accordance with COVID-19 standard operating procedure (SOP). Thousands of people gather to observe the opening ceremony of the high-altitude temple dedicated to Vishnu under normal circumstances.

For the second year in a row, the temple's opening ceremony was sparsely attended. Approximately eight quintals of marigolds were used to decorate the temple for the occasion.

With the opening of Badrinath, Uttarakhand now has access to all four Himalayan temples known as Char Dham. Kedarnath began operations on Monday, May 14, and Yamunotri and Gangotri began operations on May 14 and 15, respectively.

Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, they have been held out of bounds for pilgrims for the time being. It is hoped that after the pandemic has passed, pilgrims will be able to visit the temples.

Uttarakhand CM writes on Twitter

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat shared the information on Twitter. He wrote, "The doors of Lord Vishnu's eighth Baikunth Badrinath Dham was inaugurated today at Brahm Muhurta at 4.15 minutes after rituals and religious ceremonies. The safety of public health is the priority of the state government. I pray for the health of the people from Lord Badri Vishal." (roughly translated)

While sharing pictures from the ceremony, Rawat tweeted, "Chief Priest of Shri Badrinath Dham, under the leadership of Shri Ishwari Prasad Namboodari ji and Dharmadhikari Shri Bhuvan Chand Uniyal ji will regularly offer prayers to Lord Badri Vishal in a limited number of shrines in the temple." (roughly translated)

He added, "The Char Dham Yatra is temporarily postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. I request all of you to have a darshan of God and worship in your homes and perform religious traditions. Best wishes to all of you on opening the doors of Shri Badrinath Dham." (roughly translated)

Uttarakhand reported near 4,000 cases in the last 24 hours with 223 deaths and 3,690 recoveries. As of now, 2,07,363 people have recovered from the deadly virus, whereas, 5,034 have succumbed to the disease. 

(with inputs from PTI)

Picture Credit: Twitter@TirathSRawat