February 18: Gates of Shri Badrinath temple situated in Uttarakhand will be reopened for the devotees from May 18, 2021, soon after the winter break.
The holy temple, located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, closes every year after Diwali on account of the heavy, thick blanket of snow arriving during winters. According to the latest reports, the shrine will be reopened at 4.15 AM on 18th of May. This information was revealed by Chardham Devasthanam Board official.
These dates were fixed during a ceremony held on the holy occasion of Basant Panchami held on February 16. This ceremony took place at Narendra Nagar palace which is the home of the Tehri royal’s family. Other than this, Uttarakhand’s other famous temples like Madamaheshwar and Tundnath, that are closed for quite a long time onset of winter arrival, will be reopened as the spring comes through.
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For the reopening rituals, the Gadu Ghada will begin its journey to reach Badrinath on April 29, 2021. Gadu Ghada is pitching containing oil (tel kalash) that is used for the reopening ceremonial rituals of the holy temple. This ghada is sent every year from the palace to the holy shrine before the opening of the Badrinath temple.
Shri Badrinath is among the char dhams of the Uttarakhand circuit s other 3 are Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. While Kedarnath remains closed as of now, there is still no dates as to when the shrine will reopen. However, Badrinath’s reopening date was delayed given the Covid-19 outbreak in India.
