Over twenty thousand pilgrims have visited the four holy Hindu shrines — Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri — this year.
After the lockdown, only local people are allowed to visit the “Char Dham”.
In the midst of the Covid pandemic, the number of their pilgrims is remarkable as limited means of local transport are available currently.
According to data released by the Uttarakhand Chardham Devasthanam Management Board, from 15 May to 30 August, a total of 10,899 pilgrims have visited Badrinath in district Chamoli.
In the same period, 6,491 devotees toured Kedarnath, 3,837 others to Gangotri and a mere 533 visited Yamunotri.
Harish Gaur, media incharge of Uttarakhand Chardham Devasthanam Management Board, says, “Pilgrims have taken e-passes for different dates.
We have issued 36,442 epasses by 31 August.”
The flow of tourists in the hills is generally slow during the Monsoon.
The visitors generally avoid touring in hills during the rainy season due to road obstacles like landslides. As the weather will improve people are expecting the number of visitors to increase at the ‘Char Dham.’