Amid blowing of conches and chanting of vedic hymns and shlokas, the chief priest of Badrinath shrine opened the doors of the shrine at 04:00 hrs this morning.
During the opening ceremony of the shrine, situated at a height of 3,133 meter in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, hundreds of devotees, including industrialist Anil Ambani and corporate lobbyist Nira Radia, were present outside the sanctum sanctorum braving snowfall and chilly winds.
Badrinath and Kedarnath are among the four holy places visited by pilgrims during the 'chaardham yatra' in Uttarakhand. The two other places are Gangotri and Yamunotri.