From today Rawal Amarnath Namboodri will be the chief priest of Badrinath Dham, entered the sanctum sanctorum with due rituals
Chamoli: Since the period of Adiguru Shankaracharya, till now 20 Rawals have performed the service of worship in Dham. Now the 21st Rawal, 30-year-old Naib Rawal Amarnath Namboodiri will take over the responsibility of worship at Badrinath.
Naib Rawal Amarnath Namboodiri will now be the chief priest at Badrinath Dham. His Tilapatra was done on Saturday. After which today he went to the Panchdharas located in the Dham and took bath in the water there. After this he reached the temple and performed Havan in the Havan Kund located in the temple premises. Then after bathing in the hot pond, he entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
After performing Baal Bhog and Aarti with the outgoing Rawal who was already present here, both Rawals reached the Rawal residence with the golden stick. From now on, all the pujas performed in the temple will be performed by the new Rawal Amarnath.
Rawal tradition going on in Badrinath for two hundred and fifty years
The Rawal tradition has been going on in Badrinath Dham for about 250 years. Since then this tradition has been going on uninterrupted. Only Namboodiri Brahmins from South India are appointed Rawal of the temple. The chief priest in Badrinath Dham is called Rawal. This title was given to the chief priest of Badrinath by Tehri King Pradeep Shah. In 1776, Raja Pradeep Shah of Tehri came to visit Badrinath. He came to know that the chief priest of Badrinath, who used to be Shankaracharya at that time, has become Brahmalin, due to which regular worship is not being done in the temple.
He needed to make arrangements so that the puja continued regularly in the temple and there was no disruption in it. He appointed Gopal Namboodiri as the first Rawal of Badrinath Dham. After which the Rawal tradition started in the Dham. Earlier this arrangement was with the royal family, later Rawal started being deployed through Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee.
