‘Sanatan people should visit Badrinath once’: Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand

Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], May 12 (ANI): Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati visited Shri Badrinath Dham and offered prayers on Sunday.
During his visit to Badrinath Temple, he appealed to the people of Sanatan to come and have 'darshan' here at least once.
"Today, it's a sacred occasion for crores of followers of Sanatan. I want all the people of Sanatan to come and have 'darshan' here, at least once. People have an opportunity to worship 'Badri Vishal' and seek his blessings for the next six months at the sacred Shri Badrinath Dham." Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said.
The Shri Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand opened its doors for devotees at 6 am on Sunday morning amid chimes of melodious tunes by the Army Band with complete rituals and and Vedic chants. Shri Badrinath Dham opened its gates for devotees after a break of six months.
Located in Garhwal hill tracks in Chamoli district along the banks of Alaknanda River, Badrinath Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
Earlier today, the first 'Abhishek puja' was performed in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee President Ajendra Ajay said, "Today at 6 am, the doors of Shri Badrinath Dham have been opened for devotees. Our first Abhishek Puja has been done in the name of Prime Minister Modi. Crowds of devotees are seen on the temple premises. There was some rain at the time of the opening of the doors but there was no decrease in the number of devotees. We are making efforts to make the journey of the devotees smooth."
The shrine of Shri Badrinath Dham is located among the snow-capped mountains of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand state. Thousands of devotees thronged the entry of Badrinath Dham, with the entrance decked up with flowers.
Meanwhile, Chief Minisiter Dhami, while welcoming devotees, said, "Today the portals of Shri Badrinath Dham have opened; we welcome all the devotees... Our effort is that no one faces any problems in the journey and the journey should be done in an orderly manner. In the initial days, more people are reaching, hereby, I request to start the journey only after getting information about the rules of the journey, booking, registration, weather, and other important details."
The Badrinath Yatra is a significant pilgrimage in Hinduism, primarily undertaken by devotees of Lord Vishnu. The pilgrimage for Char Dham usually commences around late April or early May and goes on till November.
The Char Dham Yatra commenced in Uttarakhand on May 10. For the last two days, all three Dhams including Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri have been bustling.
On the first day, a record number of more than 29,000 pilgrims from India and abroad visited Kedarnath Dham. (ANI)