Diwali to be Celebrated on November 1 in Shrines
Badrinath/Rudraprayag- The Bhuloka Vaikuntha (Earthly Paradise) shrine of Badrinath will celebrate the Diwali festival on November 1, with the temple decorated with 8 quintals of vibrant flowers. The Deepawali festival has been celebrated in a unique way in Badrinath for centuries. Meanwhile, the Kedarnath temple has also been adorned with 10 quintals of flowers.
In Badrinath, the temple was decorated throughout Wednesday with marigold flowers. Former Chief Priest of Badrinath Dham, Bhuvan Chandra Uniyal, shared that the tradition of celebrating the Deepmalika festival has continued here for centuries. On this day, the chief priest, known as Rawal, conducts a special worship for Goddess Lakshmi in the Lakshmi Temple, alongside a ritual worship of the temple treasury. Local resident Ramnarayan Bhandari noted that the local villagers light oil lamps in the temple complex during Diwali, while women sing devotional songs and perform the Maha Lakshmi aarti.
According to Vijay Thapliyal, Chief Executive Officer of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, Badrinath temple is being beautifully decorated with flowers for the Deepmalika celebration. Meanwhile, in Rudraprayag, the process of closing Kedarnath’s gates for the winter has begun. Last Tuesday, prayers to Bhukund Bhairav, the guardian deity of Kedarnath, were concluded. The gates of Kedarnath Dham are scheduled to close for the winter season on November 3 at 8:30 AM.
