DEHRADUN: The Char Dham Yatra, which commenced on April 19, has witnessed a spectacular start, with an overwhelming surge of devotees flocking to Uttarakhand’s Himalayan shrines. While all four shrines have seen significant turnout, Kedarnath attracted over 1.6 lakh pilgrims in the opening days.
According to official data from the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), the total number of pilgrims who have visited the four shrines—Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath—crossed the 3 lakh mark by Sunday evening. Additionally, over 23.64 lakh devotees have already registered for the pilgrimage.
Hemant Dwivedi, President of the BKTC, confirmed the rising figures, stating, “By 9:00 am on Sunday, the number of pilgrims surpassed 250,000.” A breakdown of the footfall reveals 156,913 pilgrims at Kedarnath, 52,225 at Badrinath, 44,335 at Yamunotri, and 44,575 at Gangotri.
Amid the high volume of visitors, temple officials have moved to address concerns circulating on social media regarding mismanagement.
Rajkumar Tiwari, President of the Kedarnath Temple Committee, said that operations have been smooth so far. “It has been three days since the portals of Kedarnath and Bhairavnath opened. Every devotee is receiving the opportunity for smooth darshan,” he told this newspaper. He strongly condemned attempts by “disruptive elements” to malign the reputation of the shrine through misleading online campaigns.
Senior member of the Kedarnath Sabha, Umesh Chandra Posti, echoed these sentiments. “Under the guidance of the BKTC and district administration, we have successfully managed over 1.60 lakh visitors so far,” Posti noted. He urged pilgrims from across the globe to ignore baseless rumors, asserting that the administration is working round-the-clock. “A token system has been introduced to ensure a faster and more organized darshan experience,” he added.