The portals of the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district were opened for devotees on Sunday, 4 May, after a six-month closure.

Amid Vedic chants, the doors of the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu were opened at 6 a.m.

Fifteen tonnes of flowers adorned the temple while an Indian Army band played devotional music on the occasion.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit president Mahendra Bhatt and Tehri MLA Kishore Upadhyay were present on the occasion.

A special worship was first performed in the temple by the chief priest of Badrinath Dham, Rawal, Dharmadhikari and Vedpathis.

Along with the main temple, the doors of the Ganesh, Ghantakarna, Adi Kedareshwar, Adi Guru Shankaracharya and Mata Murti temples in Badrinath Dham have also been opened to devotees.

With the opening of the doors of Badrinath, this year's Char Dham Yatra has started in full swing.

Every year after Diwali, the doors of the Char Dhams — Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri — are closed for devotees. The portals reopen in April-May the following year.

During the six-month pilgrimage, lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad visit the Char Dhams.

The portals of the Himalayan temple of Kedarnath were opened on Friday, 2 May. Gangotri and Yamunotri temples had already been opened on 30 April.

Edited PTI copy