Badrinath (Uttarakhand) [India], April 6 (ANI): Chief Executive Officer of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, Vishal Mishra, visited the shrine on Monday to conduct an on-site inspection and review the arrangements in detail ahead of the opening of the portals of Badrinath Dham on April 23.

During the visit, he assessed the progress of works under the master plan and directed concerned officials to ensure that all tasks are completed by April 20 without compromising on quality. He also reviewed the ongoing cleaning and painting work in the premises and interacted with workers on-site, encouraging them for their efforts.

The CEO instructed the temple officer to complete the decoration of Narsingh Temple and Yog Badri Temple by April 20. Additionally, he directed that the floral decoration of Shri Badrinath Dham be completed by April 22, emphasising the use of marigolds along with roses of various colours. He also asked officials to inform donors in advance of timely arrangements.

Furthermore, he instructed that all CCTV cameras installed in the temple premises be repaired and tested before the opening of the portals. Keeping the convenience of devotees in mind, directions were also issued to install screens at multiple points in the queues so that waiting devotees can watch and enjoy religious programs.

He also directed that the repair work of guest houses in Jyotirmath and the Dham be completed at the earliest, and that attractive signage be installed across the temple premises before April 20 to provide better guidance and convenience to devotees.

The annual Char Dham Yatra, which includes pilgrimages to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri, is one of the most significant religious journeys in Hinduism.

It is believed that one should complete the Char Dham Yatra in a clockwise direction. Hence, the pilgrimage starts from Yamunotri, proceeds towards Gangotri, onto Kedarnath, and finally ends at Badrinath.

The journey can be completed by road or by air (helicopter services are available). Some devotees even do a Do Dham Yatra or a pilgrimage to two shrines, Kedarnath and Badrinath, as per the Uttarakhand tourism official website.

The Char Dham Yatra, or pilgrimage, is a tour of four holy sites: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. In Hindi, 'char' means four and 'dham' refers to religious destinations, as per the Uttarakhand tourism official website. (ANI)