State Tourism, Religious Affairs and Culture Minister Satpal Maharaj stated that the Chardham Yatra is nearing its conclusion, with the doors of Yamunotri and Kedarnath closing for the winter season on Bhaiya Dooj, following the closure of Gangotri Dham, and the doors of Badrinath Dham will also close for the winter season on November 25, 2025. However, after the closure of the Dhams, the government has made special arrangements for devotees to perform puja and darshan at the traditional winter worship sites.
Tourism, Religious Affairs and Culture Minister Satpal Maharaj stated that the winter worship sites of the Chardham include Lord Kedarnath at Omkareshwar Temple and Ukhimath, Badrinath at Pandukeshwar (Yogadhyan Badri Temple), Mother Ganga at Gangotri at Mukhba, and Mother Yamnotri at Yamunotri at Kharsali. Due to heavy snowfall in winter, the deities of the Char Dhams reside in these divine places. Therefore, devotees can easily visit these places and worship during the winter.
Shri Maharaj said that the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand is on its way to completion. The government’s well-planned efforts have ensured this successful and smooth conduct of the Yatra. For this, he expresses his gratitude and thanks to the pilgrims, priests, local citizens, voluntary organizations, officials and employees of all departments, and especially Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, whose tireless efforts have ensured that despite the various obstacles faced during the monsoon season, a record number of devotees visited Uttarakhand this year compared to last year. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inspired all of us to promote winter travel as well. Therefore, the government has also decided to offer discounts of up to 50% on hotels to promote winter travel.
Tourism, Religious Affairs and Culture Minister Satpal Maharaj said that like last year, this year too, a large number of devotees have traveled to the Char Dham shrines and gained the sacred benefits. So far in 2025, more than 5 million devotees have visited the Char Dham shrines. Of this number, more than 1.7 million devotees visited Kedarnath, more than 1.5 million visited Badrinath, more than 7.5 million visited Gangotri, and more than 6.5 million visited Yamunotri.
