Monday, 31 January 2022 | PNS | Joshimath
The preparations for the start of the Char Dham Yatra 2022 have begun in the state. The Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) media in-charge Harish Gaur said that the date for reopening of Badrinath shrine will be decided on the occasion of Vasant Panchami on February 5. As part of this process, the BKTC sent the Gadu Ghada from the Narsinh temple in Joshimath to the Yogbadri temple in Pandukeshwar. The committee handed over the urn containing the oil to representatives of the Dimri Panchayat. After ritual worship at Pandukeshwar, the urn will return to Narsinh temple on Monday. On February 4, the urn will be taken from Joshimath to the temple committee’s Dharmshala in Rishikesh. On February 5, Dimri Panchayat representatives will hand over the urn to the erstwhile royal family of Tehri. In observance of Covid-19 guidelines, a small programme will be held to ritually arrive at the date for reopening of the Badrinath temple. The date for crushing the sesame seeds for extracting the oil will also be decided on the occasion. The Dimri Panchayat representatives will take the Gadu Ghada to Badrinath on the occasion of the shrine’s reopening. It is pertinent to mention here that the sesame oil contained in this urn is used to anoint lord Badrinath.
