Badrinath shrine to open on Sunday

Dehradun, April 25: The 'kapaat' (portals) of the Badrinath shrine in Uttarakhand will open for devotees on Sunday, an official said on Saturday. As per the schedule announced by the priests, the 'kapaat' will open at 5.15 a.m. For this, a 'kalash yatra' began from the Nrusingh temple in Joshimath on Friday. Prayers and other religious rituals are being done in the temple and the chief priest of the shrine, referred to as 'rawal' Ishwaran Namboodari prayed to God for a "peaceful and safe" passage of the shrine. Thousands flock to the shrine every year as a part of the Char Dham yatra - an annual pilgrimage of Hindus. After a six-month-long winter break, the other three shrines -- Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath have already opened earlier this week. The attendance has been thin to these shrines in the past two years after thousands were killed in the cloud burst and subsequent flash floods in the hill state in 2013. The Harish Rawat-led Congress government in Uttarakhand is trying hard to market the Char Dham yatra as a safe trip this year. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also trekked the 16-km route to Kedarnath on Friday to make people feel safe about the trip.