The Badrinath Temple decorated with flowers on the eve of the opening of the portals, in Chamoli, April 26, 2023. Photo Credit: PTI
The portals of Badrinath Dham were thrown open to the pilgrims on the morning of 27th April amidst the chanting of shlokas (hymns) and melodious tunes of the Army Band. The temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu was decorated with 15 quintals of flowers.
The temple of Badrinath Dham is a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Vishnu and the place is one of the most sacred places mentioned in the ancient temple of this religion. There is evidence of its construction in the 7th-9th century. The city around it is also called Badrinath after the name of the temple itself.
Thousands of devotees gathered at the temple to watch the grand opening and waited to enter the temple. The first batch of pilgrims left for Chardham Yatra from Haridwar on April 22 and the yatra started from Yamunotri Dham on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya.
Earlier on April 25, the doors of Kedarnath Dham were opened and the first puja was performed in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The puja was performed by the Rawal Bhimashankar Linga and the priest Shivalinga and Dharmacharyas.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on April 25 said that every effort has been made to make the Char Dham Yatra easy and safe for the devotees. “Every effort has been made to make the Chardham Yatra of Uttarakhand easy and safe. Social organizations and voluntary organizations have also extended full cooperation in the yatra. Based on the experience of previous years, work has been done to advance the yatra system. ” , said the CM.
He said, “Yatra is going on smoothly in Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham. On April 27, the doors of Lord Badri Vishal will also be opened for the darshan of the devotees. Flowers were showered on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Chief Minister Dhami offered prayers at Kedarnath and wished for the happiness and prosperity of the country and the state after the doors of Kedarnath Dham were opened for the devotees by helicopter.
The Chief Minister also welcomed the devotees who had come to visit Baba Kedar. He then participated in the Bhandara (food distribution program) organized by the chief sevak in the temple premises. According to the Uttarakhand government, so far more than 17 lakh registrations have been done for the Chardham Yatra. Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimage sites in India. This pilgrimage is a journey to four holy places – Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri – which are located high in the Himalayas.