Ceremonial Closure of Badrinath Dham: Date to be Announced on Vijayadashami

The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has officially announced that the ceremonial closure date for Shri Badrinath Dham will be determined on Vijayadashami, Thursday, 2nd October. The announcement was made on Sunday, with a grand religious ceremony scheduled at the Shri Badrinath temple premises to finalize the closure date.

This significant event will see the Dharmadhikari and Vedic scholars using Panchang calculations to decide the closure, with BKTC officials in attendance. On this day, plans for the traditional Panch Pujas, which precede the temple's closure, will also be confirmed. Additionally, the auspicious timing for the departure of Shri Uddhav Ji and Shri Kuber Ji to Pandukeshwar, and the movement of Adi Guru Shankaracharya's Gaddi and Vishnu's vehicle, Shri Garud Ji, to their winter seat at Shri Narsingh Temple, Jyotirmath, will be established.

The occasion will also include the presentation of the ceremonial turban (Pagdi) for the Bhandar Seva for the 2026 pilgrimage season. Concurrently, at the Panch Kedar winter seat, Shri Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath (Rudraprayag), the closure date for the second Kedar - Shri Madmaheshwar Ji's portals - will be determined. Similarly, the closure date for the third Kedar - Shri Tungnath Ji's portals at Shri Markateshwar Temple, Makkumath (Rudraprayag), will be decided.

Badrinath, a prominent site among the Char Dham pilgrimage destinations, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and draws innumerable devotees annually. Earlier in the week, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami initiated the sacred Chhari Yatra from the Adhisthatri Maya Devi Temple in Haridwar, performed with full Vedic rituals. The ceremony marked the yatra's beginning to Uttarakhand's four revered dhams.