Uttarakhand opens Char Dham yatra for locals from today

The Char Dham yatra will be opened for pilgrims from Chamoli, Rudraprayag, and Uttarkashi districts of Uttarakhand from June 15, the government said on Monday. There are the districts where the four Himalayan shrines are located.

Minister and government spokesperson Subodh Uniyal said, “Kedarnath will be open for people in Rudraprayag district, Badrinath will be open for people in Chamoli district, and Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines will be open for people in Uttarkashi district. Locals will have to carry their negative RT-PCR report,” he said.

Uniyal said Covid curfew in the state has been extended from June 15 to June 22, with some relaxations in place. He said the number of attendees at weddings and funerals has also been increased from 20 to 50.

Recently, state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj had also said that the plan was to open Char Dham yatra in a phased manner, first for locals and then for those from outside.

Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri shrines are collectively called Char Dham. The pilgrimage begins from Yamunotri in the west. It proceeds to Gangotri and finally to Kedarnath and Badrinath in the east.

On April 29, the state government put the yatra, which was scheduled for May 14, on hold amid a spike in Covid cases.

There were also fears that the yatra could turn into another super-spreader after many seers succumbed to Covid-19 after participating in Mahakumbh in the state’s Haridwar.

Following the decision, only portals of the shrines were opened for a ritual worship by the priests.

Portals of the Yamunotri shrine were opened on May 14; that of Gangotri on May 15; of Kedarnath on May 17; while the portals of Badrinath were opened on May 18.

The yatra could not be held last year as per the schedule on April 26 with the opening of portals of Yamunotri and Gangotri, the first two shrines that are opened after winter, because of the lockdown in March 2020.

The shrines were opened for local pilgrims on July 1 last year and for those from other states in the last week of that month. In September, the state government removed the condition of negative Covid reports for pilgrims.

According to Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board officials, last year over 145,000 pilgrims visited Badrinath shrine and overall, 310,000 pilgrims came for Char Dham Yatra. Of the total pilgrims, 134,000 pilgrims visited Kedarnath, 23,837 pilgrims visited Gangotri and 7,731 pilgrims visited Yamunotri.