Portals of Badrinath shrine to open on April 27

The date for opening Badrinath shrine is declared on Basant Panchami, which was celebrated on Thursday

The portals of Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand will be opened on April 27 at 7.10am while the date for the opening of Kedarnath will be decided on February 18, the head of the shrine’s management committee has said. The date for opening Badrinath is declared on Basant Panchami, which was celebrated on Thursday.

The Badrinath shrine. (HT Photo)

Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) chief executive officer (CEO) Yogendra Singh said the date for opening Kedarnath is decided on the occasion of Mahashivratri after checking the auspicious time from an astrological point of view at Ukhimath’s Omkareshwar Temple.

Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri are collectively called Char Dham. Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the shrines annually.

Char Dham shrines remain shut for around six months. They open in April or May and close in October or November. Over five million people visited the shrines and over 1.7 million Badrinath last year.

Badarinath is located in the Chamoli district on the banks of the Alaknanda River at a height of 3,133 metres. It is one of the holiest shrines, especially for Vaishnavites.

Char Dham Yatra starts with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines amid Vedic chants on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya (April 22, this year) in the Uttarkashi district.

Char Dham Yatra was organised last year without any major curbs after disruptions due to Covid-19.