PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Jyotirmath/Dehradun
The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has made elaborate arrangements to celebrate Deepawali in Badrinath and Kedarnath on Monday. According to the committee, the Badrinath temple which has already been decorated with about 12 quintals of flowers, will also be lit up with 12,000 Diyas for the first time on Deepawali, in addition to which a Chappan Bhog (56 dishes) Prasad will be offered to Goddess Lakshmi on the occasion.
The BKTC will organise the Deepotsav at Badrinath and Kedarnath in coordination with Teerth Purohits and the traditional rights holders. In Badrinath, the celebration will be held from October 20 to 23 with the support of the Badrinath hotel association. The Dimri Dharmik Panchayat along with other stakeholders and traditional rights holders will light 12,000 Diyas in Badrinath Dham while 56 dishes will be ritually offered in the Lakshmi Mata Mandir to mark the special occasion.
BKTC chairman Hemant Dwivedi informed that the temple complex and the route will be decorated with Diyas. In addition to this, with the support of donors, the BKTC is decorating the Kedarnath temple with 12 quintals of flowers.
The Kedarnath temple is slated to be closed to the public for the winters on October 23. According to sources, directions have been issued to ensure special security arrangements in Badrinath and Kedarnath on the occasion of Deepawali.
