Dehradun, May 13, 2026
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttarakhand’s revered ‘Char Dham Yatra’ is moving towards creating a historic record this year.
In just 25 days since the pilgrimage began on April 19, more than 1.26 million devotees have visited the sacred Himalayan shrines. This development reflects an extraordinary wave of faith and devotion, say officials.
A tremendous spirit of faith and devotion is being witnessed across all four Char Dham shrines. The pilgrimage began on April 19, and by May 13, a total of 1,260,478 devotees had completed the Char Dham Yatra.
Among them, 523,582 pilgrims visited Kedarnath Temple, 324,081 visited Badrinath Temple, 205,425 reached Gangotri Temple, and 207,390 devotees visited Yamunotri Temple.
On Wednesday alone, 80,401 pilgrims offered prayers across the four shrines. Kedarnath witnessed the highest footfall with 32,423 devotees, followed by Badrinath with 21,260 pilgrims. Meanwhile, 13,403 devotees visited Yamunotri and 13,315 pilgrims paid obeisance at Gangotri.
Among the four holy shrines, Kedarnath Temple has witnessed the highest influx of pilgrims. Despite the difficult mountainous trek and unpredictable weather, over 523,000 devotees have already paid obeisance at Kedarnath in just 22 days.
On Wednesday alone, more than 32,000 pilgrims reached the shrine, making it the busiest among all four Dhams.
The surge in pilgrims is attributed to improved infrastructure, better crowd management, and extensive redevelopment work at Kedarnath under the dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The once-devastated temple town now presents a grand and spiritually uplifting appearance, attracting devotees in record numbers.
Chief Minister Dhami said that the safety and convenience of pilgrims remain the government’s top priority. With the pilgrimage route passing through high-altitude Himalayan terrain, the state administration is closely monitoring weather conditions and has instructed officials to ensure swift response measures in the event of any adverse conditions.
To streamline the pilgrimage, the government has strengthened slot management systems, crowd-control measures, and real-time digital monitoring. Authorities have also improved the trekking route to Kedarnath, making the journey safer and more comfortable for elderly pilgrims and families.
Official data from the last four years highlights the growing popularity of the Kedarnath Yatra. From 2022 to 2025, nearly 6.95 million devotees visited the shrine. The numbers rose steadily each year, reflecting increasing public confidence in the administration’s travel arrangements and infrastructure improvements.(Agency)
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