Char Dham Yatra continues amid snowfall in Uttarakhand, temple council says
The pilgrims to Char Dham were asked to stay put in safer locations as heavy rainfall and snow battered the hilly regions of Uttarakhand.
The pilgrimage to Char Dham in Uttarakhand continued on Monday, the governing council of the circuit of the temples said, even as heavy snowfall and rain battered most parts of the hilly state.
The Char Dham temples comprise four pilgrim destinations, including Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, in Uttarkhand and draw a large number of visitors every year. The pilgrimage to the four temples began on September 18 this year, after the Nainital high court allowed fully vaccinated tourists with negative RT-PCR reports for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) to travel.
The Devasthanam Management Board, the governing council of the pilgrim circuit, said the process of clearing snow on the route to the Kedarnath shrine was underway, according to news agency ANI.
Last week, the state authorities were forced to halt pilgrimage to the Char Dham as heavy rainfall triggered flash floods and landslides across Uttarakhand and claimed the lives of at least 75 people, including several tourists. At least 13 people, including 10 trekkers, were also reported to have died after they were trapped in heavy snowfall in the mountains.
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Even helicopter services to the Kedarnath shrine was reportedly affected after layers of snow covered the helipad. The route to Gangotri and Yamunotri was also hit by snowfall.
The Uttarakhand government then requested the pilgrims and visitors to the Char Dham to postpone their trips or stay put at safer locations for the weather to improve. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asked the district magistrates of Pauri and Rudraprayag to keep him updated on the situation.
Incessant rainfall, result of an unusual western disturbance – a rain system that originates in the Mediterranean region — swept across Uttarakhand and adjoining Himachal Pradesh brought normal life to a virtual standstill and caused widespread damage.
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