Portals of Badrinath to reopen on May 11

Dehradun: The sacred portals of the Himalyan shrine of Badrinath will be thrown open to devotees on May 11. The doors of the shrine will be opened at 4:30 AM on May 11 amid chanting of vedic hymns and elaborate rituals, Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple committee CEO B D Singh said.

The auspicious day and hour to reopen the gates of the shrine was announced today by the Rajpurohit on the occasion of Basant Panchmi at the erstwhile palace of the Tehri royals located at Narendranagar, he said.

The announcement was made in the presence of Badri-Kedar Temple Committee officials, erstwhile Tehri royals and others, Singh said.

The portals of the famous shrine were closed on November 17 last year for the winter season when the area remains snowbound.

Located along the banks of the Alaknanda river at a height of over 10,000 ft, the Badrinath Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is closed every year during winter due to snowbound conditions.