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Chardham Yatra 2024: Over 7 lakh pilgrims visited Kedarnath since May 10
According to Rudraprayag district magistrate, 7,10,698 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine of Kedarnath in just 28 days since May 10.
The Char Dham Yatra has seen a record-breaking influx of pilgrims, with Kedarnath Dham surpassing the number of pilgrims of more than seven lakh since May 10, the date of opening of the temple portals, till June 6.
According to Rudraprayag district magistrate, 7,10,698 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine in just 28 days.
Earlier on June 2, over 19,000 pilgrims visited the revered shrine, one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, bringing the total number of pilgrims who had visited the shrine to over 6,00,000, according to the Uttarakhand government.
Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government has made registration mandatory for all pilgrims coming for the Chardham Yatra. It has also paused the offline registration mode in the wake of the influx ofpilgrims visiting the shrines. Travellers have been advised to come to the Yatra only on the scheduled date after registration.
The portals of Kedarnath Dham were opened for the devotees on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya on May 10. The ceremony was performed amid a recital of bhajans and ‘Har Har Mahadev’ chants. Additionally, flowers were showered on the devotees standing in the queue by choppers.
At a height of nearly 3,500 metres above sea level, Kedarnath temple is located near the Mandakini river in Rudraprayag district in Uttarakhand. On November 15, 2023, the temple doors were closed before the winter season, and two thousand five hundred pilgrims witnessed the event.
Further, eighty-six deaths have been reported so far due to health-related ailments during this year's Char Dham yatra. According to the state government data, out of 86 deaths reported so far, 18 were reported from Badrinath Dham, 42 from Kedarnath Dham, 7 from Gangotri Dham, and 19 from Yamunotri Dham till Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, in a tragic accident, at least 20 people were injured after a bus carrying pilgrims from the Char Dham Yatra overturned in Rajasthan's Dausa. According to the police officials, the incident took place near Brahmbad village under the Mehandipur Balaji police station on National Highway-21.
When the accident occurred, the pilgrims were returning from their journey to Kedarnath and Badrinath as part of their Char Dham pilgrimage.
(With inputs from agencies)
