The dates for the winter closure of the four holy shrines and the Panch Kedarnath shrines in Uttarakhand have been finalized. The auspicious time for closing the doors of these shrines was determined based on the calendar calculations conducted on the auspicious festivals of Vijayadashami and Bhaiya Dooj. This year’s pilgrimage will conclude with the closing of the doors of Badrinath on November 25th, with the doors of all other major shrines closing earlier. Yamunotri Dham The doors of Yamunotri Dham will be closed for devotees on October 23rd at 12:30 pm on the auspicious occasion of Bhaiya Dooj. Following this, for the next six months, the Yamuna will be visible at her winter residence in Kharsali village. Purushottam Uniyal, spokesperson for the Yamunotri Temple Committee, stated that the doors will close on Thursday, October 23, 2025 (Samvat 2082, Kartik Shukla Yama Dwitiya), during the Amrit Vela (amrit time) in the Vishakha Nakshatra, Ayushmaan Yoga, and Dhanu Lagna (ascendant). Before the closing of the doors, the palanquin of Shanidev Maharaj, the brother of Goddess Yamuna, will depart for Yamunotri Dham to receive his sister. After the closing of the doors, the palanquin of Goddess Yamuna will arrive at Khushimath Kharsali village for its winter residence. Gangotri Dham The doors of Gangotri Dham will be closed for the winter season on October 22, at 11:36 am, on the auspicious occasion of Annakut festival. After this, devotees will be able to have darshan of the Goddess Ganga at the Maa Ganga Temple located in Mukhba village, the winter residence of the Ganges. Badrinath Dham The doors of Badrinath Dham will be closed for the winter season on November 25 at 2:56 pm. The date for the closing of the doors was announced on Vijayadashami on Thursday. The five pujas (five worship rituals) that precede the closing of the doors will begin on November 21st. A program was held at the Badrinath temple on Thursday. Dharmadhikari Radhakrishna Thapliyal, Vedpathi Ravindra Bhatt, and Amit Bandolia calculated the almanac and determined the date for the closing of the doors of Badrinath. Rawal Amarnath Namboodri, the chief priest of Badrinath, announced the closing date. Turbans presented to right holders BKTC President Hemant Dwivedi presented turbans to right holders for the 2026 pilgrimage and honored the officials of all the thoks. Dwivedi presented turbans to Manish Bhandari from Bhandari Thok, Mahendra Singh Mehta and Dinesh Bhatt from Mehta Thok, and Kulbhushan Panwar from Kamdi Thok. Schedule of Panch Pujas at Badrinath Dham November 21st: Ganesh Puja will be held, and the doors of the Lord Ganesha temple will be closed in the evening. November 22: The doors of the Adi Kedareshwar and Shankaracharya temples will close. November 23: The Khadak-Pustaka puja will be performed and the recitation of Vedic hymns will cease. November 24: Kadhai bhog will be offered to Goddess Lakshmi. November 25: The doors of the Badrinath temple will be closed for the winter season. November 26: The thrones of Uddhav, Kubera, and Adi Guru Shankaracharya will depart for their winter residences at Pandukeshwar and the Nrisimha temple at Jyotirmath. Kedarnath Dham The doors of the Kedarnath temple will close for the winter season on October 23, Bhaiya Dooj, at 8:30 am. The closing date was decided after the Panchang puja. Following the closing of the doors, the Panchmukhi Utsav Doli of Baba Kedar will depart for the winter seat, Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath. Baba Kedarnath’s Doli Yatra Schedule October 23: After the doors close, the Doli will rest overnight at its first stop, Rampur. October 24: Departing from Rampur, it will rest overnight at the Shri Vishwanath Temple, Guptkashi. October 25: From Guptkashi, it will arrive at the winter seat, Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath.
