Badrinath Temple: The doors of Lord Badrinath Dham located in the high Garhwal Himalayan region of Uttarakhand were formally closed for the winter season at 2.56 pm on Tuesday. Despite the biting cold, thousands of devotees from India and abroad gathered in the temple premises to witness this traditional ritual of winter closure.
Officials of Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee said that the process of closing the doors had started since morning. The final puja was performed with due ceremony by the chief priest (Rawal) Amarnath Namboodiri. After this the doors were closed for devotees till the next year.
Temple decorated with many quintals of flowers
On the occasion of Kapat Bandi, Badrinath temple was grandly decorated with several quintals of flowers. Especially the yellow and orange marigold flowers made the temple complex attractive. At the same time, the melodious tunes played by the band of Army’s Garhwal Scouts, local folk dances and bhajan-kirtan made the atmosphere of the Dham devotional since morning.
The temple committee said that the festive procession of Lord Badrinath will leave on Wednesday for its winter stay place Narasimha Temple in Jyotirmath, where devotees will be able to have darshan during winters. With the closing of the doors of Badrinath Dham, this year’s Chardham Yatra also formally ended. Earlier the doors of Kedarnath and Yamunotri were closed on 23 October.
A total of 51 lakh devotees reached Chardham
At the same time, the doors of Gangotri Dham were closed on Annakoot festival on 22nd October, the next day of Diwali. Every year in October-November due to heavy snowfall and extreme cold, the doors of Chardham located in the higher Himalayan regions are closed, which are reopened in April-May the next year. The Chardham Yatra, which lasts for about six months, is considered the backbone of the economy of Uttarakhand.
This time a large number of devotees participated in the Chardham Yatra. According to official figures, a total of more than 51 lakh devotees reached Chardham this year. Of these, 2.74 lakh devotees also went to Hemkund Sahib. 6.44 lakh devotees reached Yamunotri, 7.58 lakh in Gangotri, 17.68 lakh in Kedarnath and 16.52 lakh in Badrinath till Monday.
ITBP took over the security of the temple
Since the closure of the doors, the security arrangements in the temple premises and surrounding areas have been further strengthened. Like every year, this time too the main responsibility of security of Lord Badri Vishal’s Dham has been entrusted to the 23rd battalion of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). A special platoon of ITBP personnel from Dehradun border gate has been deployed on round-the-clock security duty in the temple complex.
The security arrangements of the temple are not limited to ITBP only. Local police personnel, employees of Badrinath Temple Committee and officers and employees of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) have also been collectively deployed on duty in Badrinath Dham. Despite limited public movement during winter season, safety standards are being strictly followed in the Dham.
There should be no security lapse
Chamoli Superintendent of Police Surjeet Singh Panwar said that the police station in Badrinath is functioning as before and despite giving the responsibility of security of the temple to ITBP, the overall security, traffic arrangement and monitoring of the Dham is still the responsibility of the district police administration. He said that the police is keeping a close watch on all the activities, so that there is no security lapse of any kind during the winter period.
SP Panwar also clarified that beyond Hanuman Chatti, no person will be allowed to enter without prior permission. Compulsory checking of all vehicles will be done here. He said that construction work is going on under the Badrinath Master Plan, hence the same rules will be applicable to the labourers, engineers and officers deployed at the site. No person will be able to enter the Dham and work without permission.
The police administration says that the security of Badrinath Dham is their top priority. Even in winter, when the temperature reaches below zero, the security forces are performing their duties even in difficult conditions. The administration has also appealed to the local people and concerned departments to maintain cooperation with the security agencies, so that the security and order at the Dham continues smoothly till the upcoming Yatra season.
