Badrinath shrine portals closed for public for winter season

The portals of Badrinath Temple in the Garhwal of Uttarakhand's Chamoli district have been closed for the public from Sunday for the winter season.

Swati Bhadoriya, District Magistrate, Chamoli, said: "At 5:13 PM today, the shrine portals of the temple closed. This season, nearly 12 lakh devotees have visited the Badrinath temple, making it a very successful season."

Thousands of devotees turned up to visit the Badrinath temple before it closed. Traditional rituals for the closure of the temple took place in the presence of priests and scores of devotees. The temple was specially decked up with flowers and lights for the closing.

Pilgrims will, however, be able to pay their obeisance to Lord Badrinath at Joshimath during the winters.

The date for the re-opening of the Badrinath temple in 2020 is yet to be announced.

Badrinath temple was opened to pilgrims on May 10 after a six-month-long winter break.

The temple, which is located at a height of over 10,000 feet in the Garhwal hills and attracts lakhs of tourists and devotees annually, is among the four Char Dham shrines which include Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath in Uttarakhand.

The closure of Badrinath temple marks the end of the Char Dham Yatra with the other shrines- Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri being closed to the public earlier.