Closed Badri doors lead to royal suspense in hills
UTTARKASHI: The doors of the Badrinath temple, the legend goes, hold the key to the political fortunes of the royals of Tehri. The two occasions on which the royals lost in elections – in 1971 and 2007 – the temple doors were shut. This time around, the state goes to the polls on April 11; the temple opens on May 10.
Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah, the wife of maharaja Manujendra Shah, is the sitting Tehri MP from BJP. The seat includes Tehri Garhwal, Uttarkashi and parts of Dehradun.
The Badrinath temple is one of the four shrines that make up the Char Dham Yatra in the Garhwal Himalayas — alongside Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath. It remains open for around six months in a year, from end-April/early May to October/ November when the Char Dham Yatra is held.
The erstwhile royals are regarded as the custodians of the Badrinath shrine. The head of the family is called ‘Bolanda Badri’ (talking Badrinath) who announces the dates of opening of the shrine every year. Royal family members have contested elections 13 times from the seat and won 11 times. The two instances when they lost was when the temple was closed for winter. In 1971, the elections were held in March and the head of the family, Manvendra Shah, lost. In 2007, when bypolls were held for the seat (on February 21), Manujendra Shah lost.
The Badrinath temple is one of the four shrines that make up the Char Dham Yatra in the Garhwal Himalayas — alongside Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath. It remains open for around six months in a year, from end-April/early May to October/ November when the Char Dham Yatra is held.
The erstwhile royals are regarded as the custodians of the Badrinath shrine. The head of the family is called ‘Bolanda Badri’ (talking Badrinath) who announces the dates of opening of the shrine every year. Royal family members have contested elections 13 times from the seat and won 11 times. The two instances when they lost was when the temple was closed for winter. In 1971, the elections were held in March and the head of the family, Manvendra Shah, lost. In 2007, when bypolls were held for the seat (on February 21), Manujendra Shah lost.
Bhuvan Chandra Uniyal, dharmadhikari (senior officebearer) of the Badrinath temple, told TOI, “There is no doubt that the royal family has the special blessings of lord Badrinath, which reflects in their political career too.”
“The myth got stronger after the elections of 2007, 2012 and 2014. While Manujendra Shah lost the bypolls in 2007 when the temple was closed, the seat was won by Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah, his wife, in 2012 when voting was held on October 10, and in 2014 when polls were held on May
7. In 2012 and 2014, the temple was open,” said political analyst Surat Singh Rawat.
“Voting is being held on April 11 this year and the portals of the temple are opening on May 10. If Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah again contests, it will be interesting to see if the myth holds true,” he said.
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