Pilgrim numbers surpass past year’s by more than 4 lakh
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Jyotirmath
The Kapats of Badrinath Dham were ceremoniously closed to the public for the winter on Tuesday afternoon. More than 5,000 devotees were present in the cold weather of the temple township as the temple was ceremoniously closed at 2:56 PM. Meanwhile, the State government has stated that the number of pilgrims who undertook the Char Dham Yatra this year surpassed last year’s number.
The temple was decked up in about 12 quintals of flowers as donors from different places held Bhandaras for the visitors.
The ritual for the closure of the Kapats began during the dawn with a Mahaabhishek Puja being conducted and a Bal Bhog being served to the lord as devotees continued to have Darshan of the deity. The event Pujas were also offered after the Bhog with devotees being allowed Darshal till about 1 PM. The concluding Kapat closure process began at about 1:30 PM
The idol of Goddess Lakshmi was placed in the Garbh Grah along with Bhagwan Narayan while the lord’s friends Uddhav and Kuber were also brought to the temple from where Kuber was taken to the neighbouring Bamni village for the night.
Earlier the lord was draped in a coarse wool blanket dipped in ghee prepared by the Mana Mahila Mandal.
Meanwhile, officials said that with more than 51 lakh people undertaking the Char Dham Yatra this year, their footfall is 4.35 lakh higher than in the previous year. While Kedarnath was visited by the highest number of pilgrims at more than 17.68 lakh, Badrinath was visited by more than 16.60 lakh during the Yatra period this year.
With the Char Dham Yatra now closed, the government is also focusing on the winter Yatra to shrines where the presiding deities of the Char Dham are ritually worshipped during the winter months. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that more pilgrims had visited this year compared to last year despite there being challenges throughout the year. The safety of the pilgrims is the top priority of the government, he said while citing the various efforts undertaken to ensure a safe and convenient experience for the visitors.
