CHAMOLI: 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 occasion of Basant Panchmi festival.
“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,” he said.
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”.