The portals of Badrinath Temple opened at 4:30 am today. 28 people including the Chief Priest was present at the temple when its portals opened like the three other dhams the first prayer here was performed on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
To recall,the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri were opened on April 26 and doors of Kedarnath were opened on April 29. Earlier, the portals of Badrinath dham were to open on April 30 but the date was revised and fixed for May 15 by the Tehri royal family, custodians of the shrine.
Speaking about the opening of the Char Dham shrines amidst the ongoing lockdown, tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said, “Presently, only the religious rituals are being performed at the Char Dham shrines and it is not open for the devotees. However, we have requested the Centre to open the yatra for people living in green zone districts of Uttarakhand.”
Last year, the yatra saw a record turnout of pilgrims and there was a significant rise in numbers in comparison to 2018. In all, the Char Dham Yatra saw a devotee footfall of around 32 lakh in 2019. Badrinath had maximum devotee turnout with 11.74 lakh, Kedarnath witnessed 10.02 lakh pilgrims; 5.30 lakh paid obeisance at Gangotri while 4.65 lakh visited Yamunotri.
Uttarakhand: The portals of Badrinath Temple opened at 4:30 am today. 28 people including the Chief Priest was present at the temple when its portals opened. pic.twitter.com/jVDGmoZ9Vs
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2020
