Badrinath : The portals of Shri Badrinath Dham will be closed for the winter today at 2:56 PM on Tuesday. Ahead of the closing, the temple has been decorated with 12 quintals of marigold flowers. The process of closing the gates will begin at 1 PM.
The Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee has completed all preparations for the ceremonial closure. A large number of devotees have arrived at the shrine for this significant occasion, and over 5,000 devotees are expected to witness the closing of the temple gates.
Badarinath is one of the holy shrines for Vaishnavites among the 108 divya desams incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Badrinath town is also the part of Panch Badri temples including Yog Dhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Adi Badri and Vriddha Badri, along with Badrinath temple.
The temple is approximately 50 feet tall with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof. The Badarinath temple is divided into three parts, the Garbha Griha or the sanctum sanctorum, the Darshan Mandap where rituals are conducted and the Sabha Mandap where pilgrims assemble.
At the Badarinath Mandir Gate, directly opposite the main Idol of Lord himself, is seated idol of Bird Garud, vehicle of Lord Badarinarayan. Garud is seen is sitting position and in prayer with his hands folded. The walls and pillars of the mandapa are covered with intricate carvings.
The Garbha Griha portion has its canopy covered with a sheet of gold and houses Lord Badari Narayan, Kuber (God of wealth), Narad rishi, Udhava, Nar and Narayan. The complex has 15 idols. Earlier, the portals of the world-famous eleventh Jyotirlinga, Kedarnath Dham, were ceremoniously closed for the winter season at 8:30 am on October 23, which coincided with Bhai Dooj (Kartik Shukla Saptami, Anuradha Nakshatra).
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was present on the occasion. Before the closure, the temple was beautifully decorated with flowers. The atmosphere in the temple complex reverberated with devotional tunes played by the Indian Army band and chants of "Jai Baba Kedar." Despite the cold weather, around 10,000 devotees gathered to witness this divine and historic moment.
Following the rituals, the swayambhu Shivling of Lord Kedarnath was adorned with local sacred flowers, including Kumja, Bukla, Rakh, and Brahmakamal, as well as other dried flowers and leaves, symbolically giving it a samadhi form. The sanctum doors were then closed amidst chants of "Jai Baba Kedar" for the winter season.