Badrinath Dham Doors Open with Grand Ceremonies; Over 10,000 Devotees Arrive Within Hours
Badrinath, 5th May 2025: The sacred doors of Badrinath Dham were opened at 6 am on Sunday, marking the official commencement of the Chardham Yatra in full fervour. The ceremony began with Ganesh Puja, after which the temple’s Rawal (chief priest) performed the rituals to open the shrine.
The atmosphere outside the temple turned festive as women sang traditional folk songs and the Garhwal Rifles band played ceremonial tunes. As part of the celebrations, a helicopter showered flowers over the temple premises, which had been decorated with 40 quintals of flowers ahead of the event.
More than 10,000 devotees thronged the shrine within the first two hours of the doors opening. Long queues formed in front of the main gate as pilgrims waited patiently to seek blessings of Lord Badrivishal, whose darshan will now be available for the next six months.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was among the early devotees, performing puja and darshan at the Dham.
The ceremonial arrival of Lord Badrivishal’s palanquin, the Utsav Doli of Kuber and Uddhav, and the throne of Adi Guru Shankaracharya took place on May 3. Prior to this, the doors of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham were opened on April 30 (Akshaya Tritiya), and Kedarnath Dham on May 2, thus setting the stage for the complete opening of the Chardham Yatra circuit.
Authorities have made tight security arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of the yatra. Around 6,000 police personnel, 17 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), and 10 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed along the route to manage the large influx of pilgrims.
With the spiritual season now underway, lakhs of devotees are expected to visit the four sacred shrines—Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri—over the next few months.
