Portals of Badrinath Dham to be opened on May 12

Badrinath and Kedarnath, along with Yamunotri and Gangotri, collectively called Char Dham, attract lakhs of pilgrims each year

The portals of Badrinath Dham will be opened at 6am on May 12 this year, Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) officials said on Wednesday.

The announcement of the opening of the portals of Badrinath Shrine was made today on the occasion of Basant Panchami. (HT photo)

The announcement of the opening of the portals of Badrinath Shrine was made today on the occasion of Basant Panchami.

Harish Gaur, media in charge Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee said, “After the announcement of portal opening for the Badrinath shrine, the date of Tel-Kalash Yatra was also fixed on 25 April”.

Ajendra Ajay, president Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee said, “The royal priest Acharya Krishan Prasad Uniyal after offering prayers at the royal palace in Narendra Nagar read out the Almanac and declared the dates for the opening of portals of Badrinath shrine in presence of Maharani Rajyakakshmi Shah, Member of Parliament (MP) from Tehri Lok Sabha seat.”

BKTC officials said the decision on the date of opening the portals of Kedarnath is taken on Mahashivratri.

Badrinath and Kedarnath, along with Yamunotri and Gangotri, collectively called Char Dham, attract lakhs of pilgrims each year.

Char Dham shrines remain shut for around six months every year, opening in summer (April or May) and closing with the onset of winter (October or November).

Char Dham yatra broke a record last year, with pilgrim influx crossing 5.6 million.

In 2022, over 4.6 million pilgrims had visited the four revered Himalayan shrines.

Last year, nearly 75 lakh pilgrims had registered for Char Dham Yatra which started on April 22 and concluded on November 18, with the closure of portals of the Badrinath shrine.

In 2023, over 18 lakh pilgrims visited Badrinath Dham while over 19 lakh pilgrims visited Kedarnath Dham till the closure of the portals.

Over nine lakh pilgrims visited Gangotri Dham shrine, while over 7 lakh pilgrims visited Yamunotri Dham.

Apart from this, over 1.7 lakh pilgrims visited Hemkund Sahib shrine in Chamoli district.