Sunday, 20 November 2022 | PNS | JOSHIMATH
More than 46 lakh undertake Char Dham Yatra this year
The portals of Badrinath temple were ritually closed to the public for the winters at 3:35 PM on Saturday. More than 5,000 devotees were present in the temple on the occasion which marks the end of the Char Dham Yatra for this year. The rituals began at 3 AM with Abhishek followed by offering of Rajbhog and the evening Arti. The Rawal (chief priest) Easwaraprasad Namboothiri dressed as a woman installed goddess Lakshmi alongside lord Badrinath in the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine. The lord was wrapped in a woolen blanket prepared by Mahila Mandal of Mana after which the portals of the temple were closed to the public. According to the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, at least 17,60,649 people visited the Badrinath temple this year.
Meanwhile, Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj said that more than 46 lakh people had undertaken the Char Dham Yatra this year. He thanked all the devotees, locals and the employees involved in the pilgrimage. The minister said that the deities Uddhav and Kuber are being taken from Badrinath to Yog Badri temple in Pandukeshwar while the seat of Adi Shankaracharya will reach the Narsinh temple in Joshimath on November 21 after which the winter prayers to the lord will begin at these two shrines.
He requested the devotees to visit Uttarakhand for the winter worship and pay obeisance to the Char Dham deities at their winter abodes also.
