Chamoli (Uttarakhand)

The hallowed portals of the Badrinath Dham will reopen to devotees on April 23, Manujendra Shah, the current titular Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal, said on Friday on the occassion of Basant Panchmi festival.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, he said, "Greetings to all the people of Uttarakhand and of the country. It's a matter of pride to announce that this year, the gates of Badrinath Dham will reopen on April 23 at 6:15 am. The Gadu Ghada ceremony will be held on April 7."

The opening date of Shri Badrinath Dham temple is announced annually on the auspicious day of Basant Panchami every year.

The date declaration is done from the royal court of Tehri Naresh in Narendra Nagar of Tehri Garhwal District.

This temple of Lord Vishnu has various rituals performed on the announcement day as well as the day of commencement of the temple's pilgrimage season.

According to the Dham's website, the announcement is followed by the Gadu Ghada ritual, the sacred sesame oil ceremony, which is specially extracted by devotees from the sesame seeds. The oil is then sent to the Badrinath temple via Rishikesh in a revered journey named "Tel Kalash yatra".

On the day of the opening ceremony, the seat of lord Vishnu in the form of Badrinarayan is transferred from Narasimha Temple to Badrinath.

Acharya Krishnanand Nautiyal from the Narendra Nagar Royal Palace today said that the date and time have been finalised after carefully monitoring the astrological chart of Maharaj Manujendra Shah.

"Based on the astrological chart of Maharaj Manujendra Shah, the date and time decided for the opening of the portals of Badrinath Dham is April 23, 6:15 am. The gates of Lord Badrinath will be opened for general devotees. The sesame oil sent for the anointing ceremony of Lord Badri Vishal will arrive here on April 7th and will be processed under the supervision of the Maharani ji..." he said.

Earlier, after performing traditional rituals and prayers at the royal palace, the date for the opening of the portals of Badrinath Dham was formally announced.

Badarinath is one of the holy shrines for Vaishnavites among the 108 divya desams incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Badrinath town is also a part of the Panch Badri temples, including Yog Dhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Adi Badri and Vriddha Badri, along with the 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 an idol of Bird Garud, the vehicle of Lord Badarinarayan. Garud is seen in a sitting position and in prayer with his hands folded. The walls and pillars of the mandapa are covered with intricate carvings.

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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).