For this pilgrimage season, the portals of the world-renowned Shri Badrinath Dham will close on Monday, November 16, at 9:37 PM, during the Karka Lagna (Cancer ascendant). The ‘Panch Puja’ (five-day ritual worship) will commence on Thursday, November 12. Following the closure of the portals, the deities—Shri Uddhav Ji, Shri Kuber Ji, and the sacred seat (Gaddi) of Adi Guru Shankaracharya Ji—will depart from the Dham on the morning of Tuesday, November 17, for their respective winter abodes.
In a message, Hemant Dwivedi, President of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), extended his Vijayadashami greetings to devotees from across the country and abroad. He expressed hope that a large number of pilgrims would visit Shri Badrinath, Shri Kedarnath, and the associated temples before the portals close. He further stated that, following the closure, winter pilgrimage initiatives would be promoted under the guidance of the state’s Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Meanwhile, BKTC Vice-President Rishi Prasad Sati and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sohan Singh Rangad addressed the proceedings regarding the portal closure and expressed gratitude to all departments and organizations associated with the pilgrimage. The date for the closure was finalized during a grand ceremony held on Tuesday, the day of Vijayadashami, within the Badrinath temple complex.
The date for the closure was formally announced by the Rawal (head priest) of Badrinath Dham, Amarnath Namboodiri, in the presence of BKTC Vice-Presidents Rishi Prasad Sati and Vijay Kaparwan, along with Prahlad Pushpwan, Rajendra Dimri, Rajnish Bhatt, and CEO Sohan Singh Rangad. Prior to this, the temple’s religious authority (Dharmadhikari), Acharya Swayambar Semwal, and Vedic scholars—Dr. Ravindra Bhatt and Acharya Vani Vilas Dimri—determined the date following traditional rituals and astrological calculations (Panchang Ganana). BKTC presented turbans for the management of the storekeeping system of Shri Badrinath Dham for the Yatra year 2027. In this Yatra year, turbans were presented to Umesh Bhatt, Shivam Mehta from Mehta Thok and Mahendra Bhandari and Jagdish Panwar from Kamdi-Bhandari Thok.
Earlier, on the occasion of Vijay Dashmi, Navratri and Urvashi Mata worship, organized in the presence of Rawal, Dharmadhikari Vedpathi and Acharyas in the Shri Badrinath temple premises, also concluded with a havan yagya. On this occasion, a large number of devotees participated in the worship.
