Dehradun: The Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand is in its final phase. This time the weather was hit hard on the Chardham Yatra. The Chardham Yatra was affected for a long time due to various reasons such as heavy rains, disasters and landslides, but even these difficulties could not shake the faith of the devotees of the Chardham Yatra. Even in such a situation, the number of devotees this time also broke all previous records and set a new record.
The Chardham Yatra will conclude on November 25: After Deepawali, on October 22, October 23 and November 25, when the gates of the four dhams Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath are closed, then this year’s yatra will be formally concluded. But even before this conclusion, the Chardham Yatra created a new history.
Crowd of devotees gathered as soon as the weather cleared: Uttarakhand In the months of June and July this year, when there was continuous heavy rain in the Garhwal division of the state, the Chardham Yatra had to be stopped several times. Many routes were closed, bridges were washed away, and hundreds of passengers were stranded in the middle of the road. The administration had also postponed the yatra for a few days, prioritizing the safety of the passengers, but as soon as the weather normalised, the flood of devotees resumed. It was the same unwavering faith that broke all the old records this time.
New history recorded in the data: Government data shows that till Wednesday, 14 lakh 53 thousand 827 devotees have reached Badrinath Dham alone for darshan, while last year i.e. in 2024, this number was 14 lakh 35 thousand 341. The gates of Badrinath are now about a month away from closing, which is expected to raise this figure further.
Similarly, a flood of devotees was also seen at Kedarnath Dham. More than 16 lakh 56 thousand pilgrims have visited Baba Kedar here so far. In 2024, this number was about 16 lakh 52 thousand. Thus, this year’s figure has already exceeded 2024.
The number of pilgrims in Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham was also considerable. However, the Gangotri-Yamunotri route has been damaged the most by this rain. Therefore, the journey was repeatedly interrupted. Nevertheless, a large number of devotees came here. Seven lakh 35 thousand 615 devotees visited Gangotri Dham. At the same time, 6 lakh 32 thousand 94 devotees visited Yamunotri Dham. So far, the number of devotees who have visited the four dhams has crossed 47 lakh 76 thousand 49. The administration estimates that this number will cross the 50 lakh mark by the end of the journey.
Enthusiasm did not diminish even in heavy rains: Uttarakhand’s monsoon was very scary this time. Due to heavy rains in Uttarakhand, there was a lot of destruction this time. Roads collapsed at several places in Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Tehri. Rivers were flooded and travel routes were disrupted. However, the number of devotees did not decrease. When the roads were closed, travelers were patient and waited for the weather to clear. As soon as the roads opened and the yatra started, thousands of devotees set out towards the dhams.
The trial by fire of the government: It was not easy for the government to smooth the journey again after the disaster. Due to the weather, this time too there was no shortage of fire test for the Chardham government, but the Dhami government lived up to the fire test. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami himself came down on the ground many times and took stock of the situation. Only then this time also the Chardham Yatra was able to set a new record.
The government was also surprised: after the kind of situation that prevailed in the state, especially in Garhwal, after the rain this time, no one expected that the Chardham Yatra would pick up speed in its last hour and the number of devotees would again create a new record.
We are also surprised that even after such a big disaster, devotees reached Uttarakhand for the Chardham Yatra. This is the glory of the system of government and the unwavering devotion of the devotees. A review meeting of the Chardham Yatra was being held every week. All departments were instructed not to inconvenience passengers under any circumstances. We had prepared alternative routes, helicopter rescues and medical teams in advance, keeping in mind the threat of a disaster. This was the reason why the journey returned to the track very soon, despite stopping in the middle.
-Banshidhar Tiwari, Secretary, Chief Minister-
Chief Minister Secretary Banshidhar Tiwari said that the monsoon has caused a lot of damage to Uttarakhand this time. The government had significantly strengthened the arrangements for the Chardham Yatra in 2025 this year compared to last year 2024. All the plans were already ready. This is the reason why wherever the journey was stranded after the rains, they were immediately evacuated and alternative routes were also opened, due to which the journey was also resumed.
Banshidhar Tiwari, secretary to the chief minister, also said that the government is now starting preparations for the 2026 yatra in advance. When the yatra starts in the year 2026, the devotees get a new experience. For this, many improvement works have been started from Rishikesh to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Road health communication and housing facilities will be greatly improved. Apart from this, the state government is also paying special attention to environment protection under the Green Chardham Mission.
Economically also great success: Chardham Yatra is considered the backbone of Uttarakhand’s economy. Millions of devotees visit every year, greatly benefiting the state’s tourism, transport, hotel and business sectors. Bookings for hotels and dharamshalas in Kedarnath and Badrinath were completed months ago. However, the rains also kept all the local residents very upset for a few months.
