<p><strong>Opening Dates Announced</strong><br>The sacred doors of the renowned Shri Badrinath Dham will be opened on Basant Panchami, a Sunday, at the Narendra Nagar Rajdarbar following Panchang calculations. This year, the Uttarakhand Char Dham Yatra is set to begin on Akshaya Tritiya, April 30.</p><p><strong>Preparations Underway</strong><br>Dr. Harish Gaur, the media spokesperson for the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, announced that the date for opening the doors of Shri Badrinath Dham will be determined on Sunday, February 2, at 10:30 AM during a religious ceremony at the Narendra Nagar Rajdarbar. He added that the date will be declared after traditional worship and Panchang calculations. On the same day, the date for the Gadu Ghada (oil vessel) journey will also be scheduled. The Narendra Nagar royal palace and the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee have begun preparations for the event.</p><p><strong>Rituals and Representatives</strong><br>On January 30, the temple committee will hand over the Gadu Ghada to the Dimri Religious Central Panchayat at Shri Narsingh Temple in Joshimath. After conducting worship ceremonies at Yogbadri Pandukeshwar and Shri Narsingh Temple Joshimath, the Panchayat representatives will deliver the vessel to the royal palace on February 2. The oil vessel will then be taken to Shri Badrinath Dham on the appointed date for the opening of the doors. Various dignitaries including Maharaja Manujendra Shah, MP Mala Rajyalakshmi Shah, Princess Shirja Shah, and others will be present at the ceremony.</p><p><strong>Yatra Commences April 30</strong><br>The date for opening the doors of Shri Kedarnath Dham will be determined after Panchang calculations on Shivratri, Wednesday, February 26, at Shri Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath, by the Rawal and Dharma Officer Vedic Scholars. Notably, this years Char Dham Yatra will commence on Akshaya Tritiya, Wednesday, April 30. Traditionally, the doors of Shri Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham open on Akshaya Tritiya. The schedule for the opening of the doors of Gangotri Dham and Yamunotri Dham will be announced by their respective temple committees on the Hindu New Year and Yamuna Jayanti. Preparations for the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand will commence accordingly, with dates for the Second Kedar (Madmaheshwar) and Third Kedar (Tungnath) to be determined on Baisakhi.</p>