More than seven lakh devotees visit Char Dham

This year nearly seven lakh devotees visited the Char Dham or the Himalayan shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. This figure is three lakh more than that of last year as informed by the Garhwal Commissioner.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 23 May 2017.

The increase in the number of devotees is a pointer to the fact that there is growing confidence of people in the reconstruction work that has been carried out in the area and renewed infrastructural facilities that have been created on the route following the massive devastation as a result of the 2013 flash floods.
It may be recalled that Uttarakhand had witnessed a devastating natural disaster in the form of torrential rains of unseen magnitude on June 16-17, 2013. This led to widespread destruction and heavy losses to physical infrastructure, agriculture fields, human and animal lives and roads.


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The annual Char Dham pilgrimage takes off

The annual 'Char Dham' pilgrimage in Uttarakhand will take off from May 9, on the auspicious ‘Akshaya Tritiya’ festival with the reopening of the Gangotri and the Yamunotri shrines in the Garhwal Himalayas. As per reports, all the preparations related with the pilgrimage have been done at the Gangotri, Yamunotri Temples in the Uttarkashi district and at the Kedarnath Temple in Rudraprayag district of the state.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 9 May 2016.

The pilgrimage attracts lakhs of devotees from India and abroad and is believed to be the economic backbone of the Garhwal Himalaya region.
The gates of the temples at Yamnotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath will be reopened on 9 May after remaining closed for six months during the winters. The gates of the Badrinath Temple in the Chamoli district will reopen on May 11.
As per laid down traditions, the world-famous Chardham pilgrimage comes to a halt towards first week of November because, at that time, the shrines become inaccessible due to heavy snowfall. Subsequently, in spring, around Basant Panchami, the dates for the re-opening of the shrines are announced as per ancient rites and rituals.
Since the hill-state is currently under President's Rule, Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul has taken a keen interest in the smooth running of the pilgrimage. He has ordered officials in-charge to ensure that all facilities and road safety norms were in place before pilgrims started arriving in lakhs for the Chardham season that lasts for just over five months.


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Tourism officials fear that Char Dham Yatra could see less footfalls because of forest fires

Tourism officials of of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam are a worried lot. They had been expecting increased footfall of pilgrims and devotees for Char Dham yatra but the adverse publicity generated as a result of forest fires in Uttarakhand could take its toll on religious tourism this year. This is more so because because this was the year they were expecting a huge footfall since the 2013 flash floods.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 1 May 2016.

The number of tourists for the Char Dham Yatra had taken a beating after the flash floods of 2013 in Uttarakhand. It resulted in a dip in the number of pilgrims visiting the four shrines in the state. And, the matter has been confounded by the nature of publicity of the forest fires in the state have received at the national level.
Consequently, tourists could get a wrong impression that the fire is everywhere and the state is unsafe for travel. Actually, the fire is raging in some selected pockets and, heavy manpower has been deployed to control the blaze.There are also prediction of rainfall and the officials hope that the situation will improve before the yatra finally commences on May 9.


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