Char Dham Yatra continues smoothly amid monsoon; Over 30 lakh devotees visit Badrinath and Kedarnath
Dehradun, August 11
The Char Dham Yatra is progressing without interruption despite the ongoing monsoon season, with enthusiasm among pilgrims remaining remarkably high as the second phase of the pilgrimage gets underway.
Devotees from across the country continue to journey to the high-altitude shrines to offer prayers at Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham.
Speaking exclusively to ANI, Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) Chairman Hemant Diwedi confirmed that arrangements are holding up well against the seasonal rains, ensuring steady and safe movement for all visitors.
"With the beginning of the second phase of the pilgrimage, devotees remain enthusiastic about visiting Baba Kedar and offering prayers at Kedarnath Dham. So far, a total of 30,62,228 devotees have offered prayers at Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham. Of these, 16,12,112 pilgrims have visited Kedarnath Dham, while 14,50,116 devotees have reached Badrinath Dham. Despite the monsoon, the movement of pilgrims at both shrines continues steadily," said Diwedi.
The Char Dham Yatra includes the four major pilgrimage sites of Uttarakhand: Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
Earlier, on Monday Uttarkhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a virtual meeting with all District Magistrates from the Chief Minister's residence and issued directions on various issues, including the monsoon situation, Char Dham Yatra, Kanwar Yatra, disaster management, the 'Jan-Jan Ki Sarkar, Jan-Jan Ke Dwar' programme, verification drives and making roads pothole-free.
The Chief Minister directed all District Magistrates to enhance vigilance in view of the monsoon and keep the disaster management machinery fully alert.
He instructed all officials to keep their phones switched on and remain accessible at all times. He stressed that all necessary arrangements and preparations must be ensured to deal with any eventuality and prevent inconvenience to the general public during the monsoon.
— ANI
Reader Comments
It's heartening to see such devotion, but I do have a concern — with monsoon season and landslides being common in the Himalayas, shouldn't there be more stringent safety checks, especially for elderly pilgrims? Safety should always come before numbers.
My grandparents just came back from Kedarnath and they couldn't stop praising the arrangements! from the langar to the medical camps, everything was top notch. The BKTC chairman is right, the second phase is seeing even bigger crowds. Har Har Mahadev! 🔱
The CM's directive about keeping phones on and monitoring disaster management machinery is a sensible move. Last year's flash floods taught us a lesson. Hope they also focus on making those roads pothole-free as mentioned — the journey to these shrines needs better infrastructure.
30 lakh in just over a month? That's actually quite impressive numbers for both Kedarnath and Badrinath! The enthusiasm is real. It's good that they're managing the yatra even in rain — shows how much the administration has improved over the years. Also, it's nice to see our yatra culture getting this organized!
I appreciate the arrangements but honestly, with monsoon being unpredictable, maybe the yatra dates should be slightly adjusted? I saw a lot of elderly people struggling with the rain during a recent video from the yatra. Not criticizing the government directly, but just thinking about the most vulnerable pilgrims. Anyway, jai Kedarnath ji ki!
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.