Badrinath's sacred portals were opened early morning at 4:30 am on Friday with only a select group of priests and Devasthanam Board officials. Due to coronavirus, this year it was a low-key ceremony. The gates of the Himalayan temple were opened by its chief priest Rawal Ishwari Prasad Nambudiri. All those present followed norms of social distancing and wore masks. Though the sea of devotees was missing from the opening ceremony this time, the temple was decorated with 10 quintals of flowers and was glittering with lights.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in a tweet expressed hope that the pandemic will end and the chardham yatra will begin as soon as possible. If you were to visit Badrinath or any of Char dhaam this year but coronavirus spoiled your plan, do not worry. Uttarakhand Char Dhaam Devasthanam Board has made special arrangement for you to do darshan, offer puja, bhog and watch aarti from your home. Click on the link below to visit the official site of Uttarakhand Char Dhaam Devasthanam Board.
https://badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in/
When the link opens, you get a notification which read: "Kindly note that, all temples are now opened for 2020 season, but pilgrim cannot visit the temples due to Covid-19 lockdown guidelines. However, pilgrims can continue to avail following services from this portal: Puja/Paath/Aarti/Bhog in which presence of pilgrim is not required at temple, online donation, Note: Online bookings made after 15th May 2020 are non-refundable".
Till the world gets back to normal, do darshan digitally. You can even make donations online besides offering pooja.
