DEHRADUN: In view of the unprecedented rush to register for Char Dham yatra and the huge crowd of devotees at the shrines, the Uttarakhand government has extended the ban on registration till May 24. According to the data till Tuesday, around 10 lakh devotees have visited the temples so far and the number of registrations has crossed 30 lakh.
“Undoubtedly, the number of pilgrims coming for this yatra is going to surpass last year’s figure, at the same time we are committed to a safe and successful yatra,” Badri Kedar Temple Committee president Ajendra Ajay told this newspaper. Last year, the number of pilgrims who visited Char Dham Yatra and Hemkund Sahib was 48 lakh.
“A grand bronze ‘Om’ motif weighing 60 quintals, which has been built in Baroda, Gujarat, will be installed at the Gol Plaza of Kedarnath, the 12th Jyotirlinga of Lord Ashutosh,” Ajay said. The District Disaster Management Authority has successfully tested it and after getting the approval, it will be installed permanently.
Kedarnath is being beautified under a project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At present, the work of the second phase in Dham is going on in full swing. In the first phase, temple route and round plaza were constructed along with the expansion of the temple complex.
Yogendra Singh, chief executive officer of the Badri Kedar Temple Committee, said, “Nine years after the Kedarnath disaster, Lord Shiva’s adorable guru Ishaneshwar will also be able to find his ‘abode’, the work is in the final stage, and the work is expected to be completed this month.” Since the disaster, idols of the Lord are being worshipped under the open sky.
