The sacred portals of Badrinath were closed for the winter season on Saturday with over five thousand devotees turning up at the Himalayan temple to witness the coloꦫrful closure ceremony.
The g▨ates of the temple dedicated to Bhagwan Vishnu were closed at 3.35 pm amid the chants of Jai Badri Vishal and devotional tunes paid by Garhwal scouts.
The closure of the temple took place after its chief priest Rawal Ishwari Prasad Namboodiri, dresse🌱d like a woman as per tradition, established goddess Lakshmi inside the sanctum sanctorum.
With the closure of Badrinath, this year's Char Dham Yatra wh♎ich received more than 61 🐻lakh pilgrims breaking all past records, comes to an end.
Badrinath in particular received a tot💙al of 17,65,649 pilgrims thisꦚ year which is also a record.
The other Himalayan temples in the Char Dham circuit i⛎ncluding Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gan🅺gotri were closed last month.
It was after a gap of tw🌸o years that the Char Dham Yatra took place this year without the Covid protocol in force.
Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chairman Ajendra Ajay and Vice Chai✨rman Kishor Panwar were among a host of officials who visited the temple on the day of its closure for which it was decorated with to♑ns of marigold flowers.
(Inputs from PTI)
