DEHRADUN: Takers for the Char Dham Yatra has gone up in recent history, and this Saturday a new record was set as registrations by pilgrims peaked at 46.56 lakh – the highest ever for the annual pilgrimage. Besides, a record 28.41 lakh pilgrims visited the four Himalayan shrines of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath (and the Hemkunt Sahib) till Saturday.
Speaking to this newspaper, Uttarakhand Tourism Development Council Joint Director Yogendra Gangwar, said, “As of Saturday evening, the number of those who have registered for Char Dhams and Hemkund Sahib has gone up to 46,56,844, out of which 28,41,105 pilgrims have visited Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Hemkund Sahib.”
In 2022, the number of pilgrims visiting during the entire yatra season was 46,27,292. Given the tremendous enthusiasm of the devotees and the arrangements made for them, this time the figure is expected to reach 60 lakh, the Joint Director said.
According to the PRO of the Uttarakhand Tourism Department, “Out of the 46 lakh who visited the temple last year, 17,63,549 reached Badrinath Dham, 15,63,275 reached Kedarnath, 6,24,516 visited Gangotri Dham, 4,85,688 visited Yamunotri, while 1,92,264 pilgrims reached Sri Hemkund Sahib. Since Covid protocols were not completely relaxed last year, this time the figure is expected to go up to 60 lakh due to the absence of such stringent restrictions,” the PRO said.
“In places where landslides are usually prone, the ‘Yatra’ staff have been instructed to compulsorily perform their duties wearing helmets as well as be fully prepared to help the devotees passing through the route,” said SDM Joshi.The number of devotees visiting Kedarnath Dham has reached 9,70,972 by Saturday evening, and there are still more than 4 months left for the yatra to conclude.
Experts have expressed concern over the government’s “achievement,” calling it the “beginning of a big danger.” Magsaysay Award-winning environmentalist and a recipient of Padma Bhushan Chandi Prasad Bhatt said, “There was a time when wearing red clothes was forbidden in this Himalayan region. There was also a ban on speaking loudly and making a noise, as there was a risk of the glacier being adversely affected due to the vibration of the noise.”