Uttarakhand: Kedarnath, Badrinath receive season’s first snowfall; temp dips sharply

The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee president said that all roads leading to Badrinath remain open and that pilgrims can continue visiting the shrine safely

Published on: Nov 5, 2025, 17:49:53 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi

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Mussoorie: The higher reaches of Uttarakhand witnessed the season’s first snowfall on Wednesday morning, blanketing the peaks around Kedarnath and Badrinath in a pristine layer of white.

The spell of snow that began at 3 am continued till around 7 am, official.

According to officials, snowfall began around 3 am in the Badrinath Dham area, covering the temple complex, surrounding hills, and approaching roads in thick layers of snow.

“The spell of snow that began at 3 am continued till around 7 am, leading to a sharp dip in temperature and heralding the onset of the winter season here,” executive officer of the Badrinath Nagar Panchayat, Sunil Purohit, said.

Over 1,000 pilgrims are currently visiting Badrinath. “It was freezing cold, but we couldn’t resist stepping out to see the snow-covered temple,” said Shubankar Chatterjee, a 45-year-old pilgrim from Kolkata.

“The shrine remains under the watch of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel and members of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) even after closure for the winter,” temple priest of the Kedar Sabha, Anand Shukla, said, adding that the snowfall extended down to Garud Chatti.

A similar scene was reported from Kedarnath Dham, where the temple complex, walking paths, and surrounding mountain peaks were all blanketed in snow.

BKTC president Hemant Dwivedi said that the snowfall in Badrinath lasted for around four to five hours. “While snow continues to be visible on the higher reaches around Badrinath, the Kedarnath shrine area experienced a slightly longer spell,” he said.

He added that all roads leading to Badrinath remain open and that pilgrims can continue visiting the shrine safely. “The portal of the Badrinath temple is scheduled to close on November 25,” Dwivedi said.

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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