Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham Portals to Close: Winter Schedule Released

The Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has announced the schedule for the closure of the Kedarnath and Badrinath Dhams for the winter season. The Kedarnath Dham portals are set to close on October 23rd. The Badrinath Dham will close on November 25th at 2:56 PM. The dates were declared on Vijayadashami. A comprehensive religious ceremony was held at Badrinath Temple to finalize the closure dates. During the ceremony, the Dharmadhikari and Vedic scholars, in the presence of BKTC officials, used panchang calculations to determine the dates. The Rawal of Badrinath Dham officially announced the closing date. The ceremonial turban (Pagdi) for the Bhandar Seva in 2026 was also presented on this occasion. The press release also stated that the dates for the traditional Panch Pujas, held annually before the closure, would be confirmed on the same day. The auspicious time (muhurat) will be decided for the departure of Shri Uddhav Ji, Shri Kuber Ji to Pandukeshwar, the Adi Guru Shankaracharya’s Gaddi, and the vehicle of Lord Vishnu, Shri Garud Ji, to their winter seat at the Narsingh Temple, Jyotirmath. Concurrently, the closing dates for the portals of the second Kedar, Shri Madmaheshwar Ji, at Omkareshwar Temple Ukhimath (Rudraprayag), and the third Kedar, Shri Tungnath Ji, at Shri Markateshwar Temple, Makkumath (Rudraprayag) will also be decided. Badrinath is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites, visited by millions of devotees, and Kedarnath is another key Char Dham site, situated high in the Himalayas.