The annual ‘Char Dham’ pilgrimage season of Uttarakhand will conclude next month. The portals of four famous Hindu shrines—Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri (popularly called ‘Char Dhams’), will close for a six-month winter break in November. The Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board, a state government body managing the four shrines, announced the closing dates of the four famous Hindu temples located in Uttarakhand Himalayas on Sunday.
Badrinath temple will close on 19 November, Kedarnath on 16 November, Gangotri on 15 November and Yamunotri on 16 November. This is for the very first time the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board declared the closing dates of the Char Dhams. Despite opposition from the priests of Char Dham, the board has started its operation in the hill state for the better management of the four pilgrimage centres.
Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the Char Dham pilgrimage remains affected this year. But, after the state government relaxed norms for the devotees, the pilgrimage centres witnessed impressive footfalls. Over one lakh sixty-thousand pilgrims have so far visited Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. According to the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board, Badrinath attracted 82,000, Kedarnath 62,000, Gangotri 15,000 and Yamunotri 3,000.
The arrival of tourists picked up pace in October after the state government eased the entry norms for visitors. Earlier it was mandatory for a visitor to produce a Covid-19 negative report to enter Uttarakhand, but this rule was withdrawn on 23 September. Under the new rules, the visitors were asked to register online at the Smart City web portal to travel in the state. All other mandatory requirements were removed to provide free movement of tourists in Uttarakhand.