Doors of the Badrinath shrine in Uttarakhand’s upper Garhwal region will be closed for winter at 2.56 pm on Tuesday, marking the formal end to this year’s Char Dham Yatra.The doors of three of the four shrines in the Garhwal Himalayas have already been closed, officials of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee said on Monday.
The doors of Gangotri was closed on October 22, the day of Diwali, on the occasion of Annakut, while the Kedarnath and Yamunotri shrines were closed a day after.
Due to heavy snowfall and severe cold during winter in the high Himalayan regions, the four shrines are closed in October-November every year and reopened in April-May the next year.The Char Dham Yatra, which lasts for approximately six months, is considered the backbone of the state’s economy.This year, approximately 5.1 million pilgrims from India and abroad have participated in the Char Dham Yatra, including 2.74 lakh pilgrims who visited the Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara.According to data released by the state tourism department, 6.44 lakh pilgrims visited Yamunotri till Sunday this year, 7.58 lakh in Gangotri, 17.68 lakh in Kedarnath, and 16.47 lakh in Badrinath.
