Uttarakhand: Kedarnath Yatra briefly halted due to heavy rush; to resume on May 29

After being briefly halted for a day due to an unexpected rise in the number of devotees on the Kedarnath route of the Char Dham yatra, the pilgrimage will now resume on May 29 at 4 am.   

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and police had to temporarily halt the Yatra after an unexpected rise in the number of devotees on the Kedarnath route of the Char Dham pilgrimage at Sonprayag on May 28. The pilgrimage was stopped at 10 am on Saturday, due to the rush.

Rudraprayag Circle Officer Pramod Kumar, informing about the resumption of the Yatra, said, "The passengers will now be sent to Kedarnath Dham from 4 am on Sunday, May 29."

Kedarnath receives highest amount of registrations in Char Dham Yatra

According to the latest data available on registrations up to May 31, Kedarnath has topped the list with a total of 3,35,886 pilgrims followed by Badrinath - 2,80,268, Yamunotri - 1,73,229, and Gangotri - 1,76,203. The overall number of devotees who have subscribed for the pilgrimage stood at 9.5 lakh. 

It is pertinent to mention here that the Yatra is being conducted sans any COVID restrictions after a two year period. According to official data, as of May 16, over five lakh pilgrims have taken part in the Yatra in just two weeks, which is more than the total number of devotees who undertook the pilgrimage in the last two years.

91 devotees lose their lives during Yatra 

Notably, the Char Dham Yatra, one of the holiest pilgrimages for Hindus, comes with severe challenges due to the difficult high terrain route. 

According to official figures, a total of 91 devotees have lost their lives on the holy pilgrimage, since it began on May 3, officials informed on Friday, May 27. Heart attack is the primary reason for the high death number, informed Uttarakhand Director-General (DG) Health Shailja Bhatt. 

”Most of the pilgrims died due to heart attacks. Also, health services in Char Dham have been strengthened as compared to earlier,” Bhatt told ANI and said an additional 169 doctors have been deployed. 

Meanwhile, fresh registrations for the Kedarnath route have been stopped as the total quota of registrations available until June 3 has already been filled.

(Image: @ANINewsUP/Twitter)