The doors of Badrinath Temple located in the Garhwal hills of Uttarakhand closed for winters on Thursday, bringing the Char Dham Yatra to a close. Soon after the portals of the shrine were shut there was snowfall in the region, which made the weather chillingly cold. According to a Hindi daily about two inches of snow was witnessed inside the temple premises.
The shrine which is opened for about six months every year, from end of April till November saw very few visitors this year.According to a media report the shrine was visited by only 1.8 lakh pilgrims as opposed to 12 lakh last year. The devastation caused by torrential rains last year could be the factor behind the drop in numbers. Roads that were damaged in the 2013 deluge in Badrinath are still undergoing repair making the difficult terrain more challenging.
Meanwhile, the deities of the four shrine of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri will be moved to Pandukeshwar, Ukhimath, Kharsali and Mukhba, respectively. Pilgrims and tourists will be allowed to visit these places during winter.
