Portals of Badrinath shrine open, first prayers on behalf of PM Modi

Chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat congratulated all devotees on the opening of the portals, appealing to them to offer prayers from their homes. Now portals of all four Char Dhams are open

Published on: May 18, 2021, 13:42:14 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi

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The portals of Badrinath shrine in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand were opened on Tuesday with the first prayers being held on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the welfare and good healh of all. The portals of all the Char Dhams, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri, are now open.

Badrinath shrine decorated with flowers for the opening of its portals on Tuesday, May 18. (HT photo)

The portals of Badrinath shrine were opened at 4.15am amid the rituals performed by the priests led by their head known as Rawal. The shrine has been decked up with 20 quintals of flowers. As Char Dham yatra has been postponed, only priests and some officials were present during the ceremony.

Chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat congratulated all devotees on the opening of the portals, appealing to them to offer prayers from their homes.

The portals of the Badrinath shrine were closed in November last year for the winter months following traditional rituals and safety protocols for Covid-19.

Also Read | U’khand puts Char Dham yatra on hold amid spike

According to Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board officials, last year over 145,000 pilgrims visited the Badrinath shrine. Of the 310,000 pilgrims who went for Char Dham Yatra, 134,000 visited Kedarnath, 23,837 visited Gangotri and 7,731 visited Yamunotri.

On April 29, the state government postponed the Char Dham pilgrimage to four of the holiest Hindu shrines in the state, which was scheduled to start on May 14. But portals of the shrines will remain open during the pilgrimage. Portals of the Yamunotri shrine were opened on May 14 and that of Gangotri on May 15. Portals of the Kedarnath shrine opened this Monday, May 17.

Last year also, Char Dham yatra could not begin on schedule because of the lockdown imposed to check the spread of Covid-19. The shrines were opened for local pilgrims on July 1 last year and for those from other states in the last week of that month.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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