JOIN USAmid blowing of conches and chanting of vedic hymns and shlokas, Chief priest of Badrinath shrine Rawal Keshava Namboodiri opened the doors of the temple at 0535 hrs this morning as the palanquin carrying the idol of Lord Vishnu was taken inside the sanctum sanctorum, said Anusuiya Prasad Bhatt, Chairman of Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee.
During the opening ceremony of the temple, situated at a height of 3,133 meter in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand Disaster Management Minister Khajan Das and principal secretary, Religious Tourism Department Rakesh Sharma were also present along with hundreds of devotees outside the sanctum sanctorum braving chilly winds.
Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was also scheduled to attend the ceremony but he could not reach Badrinath due to some reason, said Bhatt.
The portals of another famous shrine of Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district were thrown open for pilgrims yesterday and Nishank was among the first ones who paid obeisance at the temple.
With the opening of portals of Badrinath today, all the four shrines collectively known as Chardham have been thrown open for pilgrims.