By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
With the closure of the Gangotri temple on Tuesday, the annual Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand is nearing its seasonal end, with the portals of Kedarnath and Yamunotri scheduled to close on Wednesday on the occasion of Bhai Dooj, while the Badrinath temple will be closed on November 16.
The portals of the Gangotri temple, one of the four revered shrines in the Garhwal Himalayas, were closed for winter at 12.05 pm on Tuesday on the occasion of Annakoot, following traditional rituals and chanting of Vedic hymns.
With the temple remaining closed for six months during winter, devotees will be able to offer prayers to Goddess Ganga at her winter abode in Mukhba village in Uttarkashi district.
Gangotri Temple Committee secretary Suresh Semwal said the temple portals were closed after the ceremonial worship of Goddess Ganga amid the chanting of Vedic hymns.
The occasion was marked by the recitation of Ganga Lahari by priests. As the idol of Goddess Ganga was carried out of the temple in a palanquin, the atmosphere turned devotional. Accompanied by the Kumaon Regiment’s Army band and traditional musical instruments, including dhol and damau, priests began the procession to Mukhba village.
The palanquin will halt overnight at the Markandey temple, around four kilometres before Mukhba, and will be taken to the Ganga temple in Mukhba on Wednesday.
Several devotees from across the country and abroad, along with Gangotri MLA Suresh Chauhan, BJP Uttarakhand organisation general secretary Phanindra Nath Sharma, party media in-charge Manveer Chauhan, former Gangotri MLA Vijaypal Sajwan and administrative officials, were present on the occasion.
The portals of Kedarnath and Yamunotri will be closed on Wednesday on Bhai Dooj, while the Badrinath temple will mark the final closure of the Char Dham shrines on November 16.
The four Himalayan shrines are closed every year in October-November due to heavy snowfall and extreme winter conditions in the higher reaches and reopen in April-May the following year.
The Char Dham Yatra, considered the backbone of the economy of the Garhwal region, attracts millions of pilgrims every year. According to official figures, more than 60.50 lakh pilgrims had visited the four shrines by November 9 this year. Of these, over 10.06 lakh devotees visited Gangotri.