Garhwal Post Bureau
Badrinath (Chamoli), 25 Nov: Badrinath Dham’s portals were closed for the winter season at 2:56 p.m. this afternoon, marking the formal conclusion of the annual Char Dham Yatra. In the presence of thousands of devotees, Chief Priest Amarnath Namboodiri performed the traditional rituals before the portals were ceremonially shut. Prior to the closure, the temple had been adorned with nearly ten to twelve quintals of flowers, lending a grand and vibrant appearance to the sacred precincts.
As per long-standing tradition, the Idols of Lord Uddhav and Lord Kuber were brought out of the sanctum sanctorum, while the Idol of Goddess Lakshmi was ceremoniously installed inside.
A specially prepared ghrit kambal (a blanket coated with clarified butter), made by members of the Mahila Mangal Dal, was offered to Lord Badri Vishal. Following the concluding prayers, the portals of the temple were closed, and devotees will now be able to offer worship to Lord Badrinath at the Yogadhyan Badri temple in Pandukeshwar during the winter months.
The closure of Badrinath marks the suspension of the Char Dham Yatra for next six months. This year, the pilgrimage recorded an all-time high footfall, with 51 lakh devotees visiting the four shrines, compared to 48 lakh last year. In winter, the worship of Lord Kedarnath will be conducted at Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath, Badrinath at Pandukeshwar, Goddess Ganga at Mukhba near Gangotri, and Goddess Yamuna at Kharsali.
In preparations for the closure, as part of the Panch Pujas, special offerings including kadhai bhog were performed at the Lakshmi Temple yesterday.
The Chief Priest invited Goddess Lakshmi to reside in the sanctum sanctorum for the winter, where she remains enthroned for six months after the portals are closed.
The closing ceremony witnessed reverberating chants of “Jai Badri Vishal” as devotees thronged the shrine premises. The recitation of Vedic hymns also concluded following the closure of the doors of Ganesh Temple, Adi Kedareshwar and the Adi Guru Shankaracharya Gaddi Sthal under the annual ritual sequence.
Badrinath, one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is a revered Vaishnavite pilgrimage centre. The Badrinath complex is part of the Panch Badri tradition, which includes Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Adi Badri and Vriddha Badri.
This year’s Char Dham Yatra had begun on 30 April 2025 with the opening of the portals of Yamunotri and Gangotri, followed by the opening of Kedarnath on 2 May and Badrinath on 4 May. With the closure of Badrinath Shrine, all the four Char Dham shrines, namely adrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, are now formally shut for the winter.
Winter worship will however continue at different locations for different deities, where devotees may undertake the winter pilgrimage. Both Kedarnath and Badrinath registered record pilgrim numbers this year, with Kedarnath receiving over 17.68 lakh devotees and Badrinath more than 16.53 lakh, surpassing last year’s figures of 16.51 lakh and 14.35 lakh respectively. However, pilgrim numbers at Gangotri and Yamunotri were comparatively lower due to disruptions caused by disasters in Uttarkashi district.
