Badrinath shrine closes as curtain rings down on Chardham

DEHRADUN: Braving icy winds, devotees thronged Badrinath as the sacred portals of the Himalayan shrine were closed this evening for the winter ringing down the curtain on this year's rain-ravaged Chardham pilgrimage.

Amid chanting of vedic hymns, chief priest of Badrinath Dham Rawal Keshav Namburi presided over the elaborate rituals which preceded the closure of the Himalayan shrine.

Despite biting cold, thousands of devotees reached the shrine bedecked with flowers to witness the ceremony.

The Chardham pilgrimage was marred by flashfloods in Uttarakhand in mid-June this year which led to its suspension for over three months.

It resumed only after the worst of the monsoon was over and the damaged infrastructure was partially restored.

The doors of other Chardham pilgrimage centres -- Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri -- were closed earlier this month for the winter.

During the winter season, the pilgrimage centres become snow-bound and inaccessible.