Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], October 20 (ANI): The Portals of the revered Badrinath Dham, often hailed as 'Bhu Baikunth,' will officially close for the winter season on November 16 at 9:37 PM, following the commencement of the winter season, the temple authorities announced.
The sacred Himalayan shrine, dedicated to Lord Badri Vishal, draws lakhs of pilgrims annually during the Char Dham Yatra. With the onset of harsh winter weather in higher altitudes of Uttarakhand, the closing ceremony marks the culmination of the annual pilgrimage season.
Badrinath is one of the holy shrines for Vaishnavites among the 108 divya desams, incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Badrinath town is also part of the Panch Badri temples, including Yog Dhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Adi Badri and Vriddha Badri, along with the Badrinath temple.
The Badrinath temple is divided into three parts, which are the Garbha Griha or the sanctum sanctorum, the Darshan Mandap where rituals are conducted and the Sabha Mandap, where pilgrims assemble.
Earlier in October, two people were killed, and three others were rescued after a taxi fell into a deep gorge near Pali Pulia on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway in Uttarakhand, officials said.
Following the accident, police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams reached the spot and launched a rescue operation to locate the vehicle and rescue the occupants.
Pankaj Bhatt, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Kirti Nagar, said the vehicle was travelling from Chandigarh when the accident occurred. He said five people were travelling in the vehicle, of whom two died on the spot, and three were rescued.
Acting on the information, an SDRF team from Chakrata, led by Sub-Inspector Jaspal Singh, was immediately dispatched to the spot. Upon reaching the location, the team found a car that had fallen approximately 35 metres into a gorge from the road. (ANI)
Uttarakhand: Portals of Badrinath Dham to close for winter season on November 16
