The Badrinath temple in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand opened for devotees on Sunday, May 12, 2024, after remaining closed during the winter.
With the opening of the shrine, the Chardham Yatra to the Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines has begun.
The doors of the Badrinath temple were opened after six months amid the chanting of Vedic mantras, a puja and the beats of dhols and nagadas.
Scores of devotees gathered on the premises of the temple, which was decked up with 15 quintals of flowers, to witness the ceremony despite rain. The doors opened at 6 am after two hours of rituals.
The puja to open the temple was performed by Chief Priest Rawal Ishwar Prasad Namboodiri in the shrine's sanctum sanctorum.
The doors of the Kedarnath, Yamyunotri and Gangotri temples opened for devotees on Akshaya Tritiya on Friday, May 10, 2024.
Till 4 pm on Saturday, May 11, 737,885 people had registered online for darshan at Badrinath. Last year, 1,839,591 people visited the shrine.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Mahipal Soni/Rediff.com
