Char Dham Yatra has begun and seeing the surge in a number of devotees, the Uttarakhand government has implemented a ban on mobile phones in Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunoti temples. So if you are planning to offer prayers in any of the mentioned temples, then check out the instructions you need to follow.

Pilgrims were prohibited from shooting videos and reels

State Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said taking into account the religious sentiments of devotees, shooting videos or reels within a 50-meter radius of the temple has been prohibited. In the statement issued by Raturi, she said that CM has taken this decision as it is hurting the religious sentiments of devotees. So to maintain the sanctity of the spiritual place, the UK government has decided to ban mobile phones. "There is no prohibition on carrying mobile phones. You can use it but nobody will be allowed to shoot videos or make reels," the statement reads.

Why pilgrims have been prohibited from using phones?

Raturi emphasised that numerous cases have arisen where individuals were dancing and playing music near the temple, causing offence to the religious sentiments of devotees. The current number of Chardham devotees has reached 26.73 lakh. Notably, this year, the holy places have experienced double the footfall compared to 2023, posing a significant challenge in crowd management. "Char Dham Yatra is going on in the state. So far, 26.73 lakh devotees have registered for the Char Dham Yatra... More than 1.42 lakh offline registrations have been done in Haridwar and Rishikesh counters. This time double the number of devotees are coming as compared to last year," Commissioner Garhwal Division Vinay Shankar Pandey said.

More than 1 lakh devotees have reached Kedarnath since the doors of Shri Kedarnath Dham opened on May 10. All three dhams, including Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri have been bustling as so far 2,76,416 devotees have visited the holy places. In four days, 1,26,306 devotees have set a new record by reaching Kedarnath.