#1 Badrinath Dham to Close for Winter 2024
Badrinath Dham to Close for Winter 2024: Sacred Rituals & Ceremonies Explained
Badrinath Dham is all set to close for the winter, and the air is filled with devotion and tradition. On 17th Nov 2024 precisely 9:07 pm, temple doors will close down, marking another successful year of Yatra season. Before this, a series of significant rituals had been conducted to welcome the season. Hundreds of kilos of offerings had been prepared to decorate the temple in a ritualistic way.
On Friday, November 15th, it will be the third day of the closure process when the recitation of the Vedic verses, called Veda Richas, will cease with a gradual move toward winter hibernation. After a formal handover of Veda Upanishads to the Rawal (chief priest) and Dharmadhikari (religious head) of the temple, this symbolic act will take place.
#2 Panch Puja - The Role of Pilgrims and Dimri Panchayat Officials
Panch Puja : The Role of Pilgrims and Dimri Panchayat Officials
The solemn procession will be followed by Rawal Amarnath Namboodri, BKTC Chief Executive Officer Vijay Prasad Thapliyal, Dharmadhikari Radhakrishna Thapliyal, and Vedpathi Ravindra Bhatt, who will all perform the rituals, culminating the rituals with great reverence by closing the books and handing them over to the Dharmadhikari for the formal closure.
Other rituals of the week include the closing of doors to Shri Ganesh Temple on November 13, followed by the closure of Adi Kedareshwar and Adi Guru Shankaracharya temples. It is part of the grand Panch Puja, which readies the whole temple complex for the long winter ahead. During this sacred period, the daily abhishek puja and all other acts of worship will continue to be performed within the temple, but the recitation of the Vedas themselves will cease.
#3 Traditional Ceremony on November 16th
Traditional Ceremony on November 16th
On this day, November 16, a traditional ceremony will take place in the following way- Rawal, Dharmadhikari and Lakshmi Temple priests will be offering Kadhai Prasad and praying to Maa Lakshmi for her to bestow continued blessings on both uninterrupted prosperity in the temple and to her devotees also.
Pilgrims and Panchayat officials of Dimri shall enhance the festivities yet reverent atmosphere. It marks the end of one chapter and awaits the next: the closure of the Badrinath doors is a moment of sacred ritualism rather than just ritual.
#4 About Badrinath Dham : Lord Vishnu Temple in Uttarakhand
About Badrinath Dham : Lord Vishnu Temple in Uttarakhand
Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal hills is in the Chamoli district. It is among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Lord Vishnu along with being a prime pilgrimage site in the Char Dham circuit in Uttarakhand.
For centuries, the temple has been a place of religious importance and is open for six months annually. The dham attracts millions of devotees every year. With over 30 lakh visitors in 2024 visiting during the two-month-long yatra period, it finds its place in the list of most visited spiritual destinations in India.
And from ancient religious texts, it is also well communicated that the temple was mentioned in Vishnu Purana and Skanda Purana and praised by Tamil saints in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham.
