The annual Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand witnessed the highest ever this year, with over 40 lakh people visiting the four Himalayan temples of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri till Wednesday.
The yatra began on May 3 this year on Akshaya Tritiya, followed by the opening of the Kedarnath temple on May 6 and the doors of Badrinath on May 8. The yatra will conclude with the closing of the Badrinath temple scheduled on November 19.
According to the data provided by the state tourism department, 40,44,205 people took part in the Char Dham Yatra this year, which is the highest number among the four pilgrimages so far. In addition to the Char Dham, 1,90,264 people visited Hemkund Sahib, one of the famous pilgrimage sites of the Sikhs.
Officials of the tourism department said that this year there has been a 35% increase in the number of Char Dham pilgrims as compared to the pre-covid season in 2019. Officials of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) say that over 1.32 lakh people went by helicopter to visit the Kedarnath temple.
Out of 40,36,357 pilgrims visiting the Char Dham, the highest number of 15,25,183 people visited Badrinath temple, followed by Kedarnath at 14,25,078, Gangotri 6,12,719 and Yamunotri 4,73,395.
With just a month left for the six-month yatra to end, the state is expecting at least two to three lakh pilgrims.
the backbone of the state’s economy
According to state finance department officials, the yatra is going to generate massive revenue and employment for Uttarakhand. This Yatra provides direct and indirect employment to more than 10 lakh people including hotel industry, restaurant/ restaurant, taxi-cab, priest, mule operator, porter, travel operator and handicraft industry.
“The Char Dham Yatra brings about ₹7,500 crore annually to the state. It is a major contributor to the state’s economy,’ the officials said.
deluge and after
Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for promoting the yatra, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that due to the interest shown by the PM and his frequent visits to the Badri-Kedar temples, the state managed to achieve a record footfall in the yatra, which It is also the backbone of the state’s economy. “The vision and faith of the prime minister has helped the pilgrimage sites to flourish even after the disaster of 2013.” [the Kedarnath deluge], The PM had on several occasions mentioned the construction of all-weather road and rail connectivity to Char Dham, Hemkund Sahib as well as Char Dham, which has helped the state become one of the favorite tourist destinations,” said Shri Dhami he said.
He said that Shri Modi had said during his visit to Kedarnath last year that Uttarakhand will be the third decade of the 21st century and this year the crowd of 40 lakh people in Char Dham has proved it to be true.
After the 2013 disaster destroyed the Kedarnath temple, the state has invested Rs 1,000 crore on its redevelopment works. Badrinath temple is being rejuvenated for ₹550 crore. The renovation work is majorly funded by the Centre.
In 2021, 5,09,503 pilgrims visited Uttarakhand amid the COVID-19 restrictions, while in 2020, 3,21,906 visited. In 2019, 32,40,882 people went on the yatra, which is the second highest number of pilgrims in the yatra so far.