Record 1.08mn pilgrims visit Kedarnath shrine: Govt data
OVER 3 MILLION PILGRIMS HAVE VISITED CHAR DHAM SHRINES THIS YEAR AFTER PORTALS OF GANGOTRI AND YAMUNOTRI OPENED ON MAY 3
MUSSOORIE: The number of pilgrims visiting Kedarnath has crossed 1.08 million during the Char Dham yatra this year, which is a new record for the shrine, according to the tourism department.
According to the data released by the department, 1,008,083 pilgrims have visited the shrine till Monday. In 2018, as many as 732,241 pilgrims had visited the Kedarnath shrine. In 2019, the pilgrim footfall was 1,000,021. In 2020, the figure was 134,881 and it was 242,712 in 2021, according to the Badrinath Kedarnath temple committee data.
The record footfall, despite the introduction of online registration and capping restrictions introduced during the yatra, has delighted the temple committee, tourism department, hoteliers and other stakeholders who had been reeling under the financial crisis due to Covid pandemic curbs for the past two years.
Badrinath Kedarnath temple committee president Ajendra Ajay said, “The pilgrim influx to Kedarnath dham has broken all previous records. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited Kedarnath shrine five times which has created enormous attraction towards the shrine. Another added attraction is restoration work being done under the guidance of the Prime Minister at Kedarnath after it was devastated in a natural calamity in 2013.”
So far over 3 million pilgrims have visited Char Dham shrines this year after the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri opened on May 3, even as two months are remaining in the yatra period.
The portals of Kedarnath were opened on May 6 and since then the rush of pilgrims visiting the shrine has been unprecedented which put the local administration to the test as it struggled to manage the massive crowds, forcing the state government to introduce online registration process for the Char Dham shrines.
Ramesh Tevatia, a pilgrim from Rajasthan, said, “Allweather road construction has meant that now we can reach the shrine in one day from Delhi to Gaurikund in Rudraprayag district as compared to earlier when it took more than two days to reach the shrine.”
Savitri Devi, another pilgrim, said, “We have been regular visitors to the Char Dham Shrines but missed out during the Covid restrictions for two years so the whole family was keen on completing the Char Dham yatra this year.”
Ajendra Ajay said, “On August 11, as many as 983,880 pilgrims, including 89,522 via helicopter service, reached Kedarnath which is indicative of the enthusiasm of pilgrims for the shrine even in adverse weather conditions amid monsoons.”
Sundar Panwar, state president of Uttarakhand Taxi Max Association, said, “The number could have risen even further but the capping clause at all shrines and the online booking registration acted as a deterrent for many pilgrims who returned without visiting the shrines this year.”
The four Himalayan pilgrimage sites Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, collectively called Char Dham, are located in the mountainous terrain of Garhwal Himalayas. Kedarnath is located at a height of nearly 3,500 metres near the Mandakini in Rudraprayag. According to tradition, the shrine was built by Pandavas and revived by Adi Shankaracharya. The shrine was the worst affected area during the 2013 flash floods, with Kedarnath town suffering extensive damage. Char Dham shrines remain shut for around six months every year, opening in summers (April or May) and closing with winter onset.