india

Updated: Jul 16, 2019 21:35 IST

The portals of the Badrinath temple have been closed ahead of the Lunar Eclipse. It will remain closed till 4:40 am Wednesday.

As per the Hindu beliefs, no religious ritual can be performed during the lunar eclipse. Accordingly, temples remain closed for a specified period of time before, after and during an eclipse.

In India, the partial lunar eclipse will be visible during the intervening night of July 16 and 17.

The Moon will enter penumbra on July 17 at around 12.12 am, after which the Moon will enter umbra at 1.31 am. The maximum of partial lunar eclipse 2019 will be witnessed at around 3 am.

This year’s Char Dham yatra started with the opening of portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines on May 7. While doors of Kedarnath were thrown open for devotees on May 9, the portals of Badrinath reopened on May 10.

The circuit of four ancient pilgrimage sites in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, that is, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath is referred to as ‘Char Dham Yatra’.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)