Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], May 4 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami performed the first Mahabhishek Puja in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday and prayed for the happiness and prosperity of the country and the state, as the portals of Badrinath Dham were opened for devotees, officials said.

'Today is an important day because people wait six months to pray in the temple... First prayers are offered for everyone's well-being... Then the pious portals of the Lord are opened... Uttarakhand Chief Minister prayed for the well-being of the state...This has been happening over the last several years. As lord Badri is the 'Ishta Dev' of the nation, the first puja will be offered on behalf of the Prime Minister and then to the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand,' said Badrinath Dham's Dharmadhikari, Radha Krishna Thapliyal, explaining the relevance of puja.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Dhami offered prayers at various temples in the complex, including the Lakshmi Temple, Ganesh Temple, and the Adi Guru Shankaracharya Gaddi. Around 15,000 devotees from across India and abroad were present to witness the ceremonial reopening.

The Chief Minister greeted the pilgrims and also took feedback on travel arrangements. He said that the state government has made efforts at every level to ensure a safe and well-organised Char Dham Yatra and to provide adequate facilities for the devotees.

He also appealed to all devotees visiting Devbhoomi Uttarakhand to fully cooperate in maintaining a clean and green Chardham Yatra.

CM Dhami took a detailed review of the Badrinath Dham master plan from Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari and inspected the ongoing construction work near the temple premises.

He directed the District Magistrate to complete the master plan on time and with quality. Expressing satisfaction over the travel arrangements in Badrinath Dham, he directed the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police to make foolproof arrangements for passenger facilities and security.

He also enquired about the preparations for the Hemkund Sahib Yatra from the District Magistrate and was directed to arrange passenger facilities soon. He also took updates about the construction work of the bridge under construction in the Alaknanda river at Govindghat, and subsequently, the District Magistrate was ordered to inspect the construction work and complete it with quality before the Yatra.

During this, Rajya Sabha MP and BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt, Jyotishpeeth Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj, MLA Lakhpat Buttola, BKTC's newly appointed Vice Presidents Vijay Kaparvan and Rishi Prasad Sati, BKTC Chief Executive Officer Vijay Thapliyal, and Dharmadhikari Radhakrishna Thapliyal were present. (ANI)