PrashantNews
The portals of Badrinath shrine nestled in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand were closed on Sunday night bringing the curtain down on the annual Chardham yatra this season.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims congregated at Badrinath and raised religious slogans like “Jai Badri Vishal” as priests recited vedic hymns and chanted mantras as per the traditional closing ceremonies.
The portals were closed at 2107 hours following which the palanquins carrying idols were taken out in a procession for the onward journey to Joshmath town in Chamoli district for their wintery sojourn.
With the closure of Badrinath portals, the Chardham yatra also came to an end this season. Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines have already been closed early this month.
Nearly 48 lakh pilgrims visited the chardham yatra this year with Kedarnath attracting more than 16 lakh people alone.
The yatra remained disrupted for nearly a fortnight following heavy rains and landslides that struck in Kedarnath on July 31. According to official figures, 261 deaths occurred mostly due to poor health conditions during this year chardham yatra. So far, 20 people are still missing in the various disasters.