Char Dham Yatra: Massive influx of devotees at Gangotri, Yamunotri Dhams

New Delhi: Gangotri and Yamunotri Dhams witnessed a huge rush of devotees who had come for darshan of holy sites on Sunday. Till 2 pm today, as many as 10,000 devotees flocked to Gangotri Dham and around 28,000 pilgrims from various places were moving towards Gangotri Dham, as per information received.

By 2 pm on Sunday, 8,500 devotees had paid darshan at Yamunotri Dham, with approximately 20,000 pilgrims progressing their journey along the Yamunotri route from different locations.

Gangotri and Yamunotri Dhams, the holy sites, are situated in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi. This year, the Char Dham Yatra started on May 10. Comprising Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, the Char Dham pilgrimage has huge importance for the Hindus. The River Yamuna, which originates from the Yamunotri Glacier in Uttarakhand, adds to the sanctity and beauty of the journey to the holy sites. Uttarakhand sees a massive spike in pilgrimage activity as the Char Dham Yatra season reaches its peak during the summers.

Security put in place, traffic being regulated

Due to huge arrival of pilgrims at the Dhams, vigilance and security has been mounted by the Uttarkashi district administration. All officials concerned with the travel arrangements at the dhams and the travel routes have been deployed.

In view of the large crowd, facilities for visitors are being stepped up on the travel routes and stops. To put security in place and traffic movement under control, all precautionary measures are being taken. Despite the influx of pilgrims, the pilgrimage is being carried out smoothly and in an orderly fashion. Vehicle movement is also being regulated efficiently.

According to the Uttarkashi District Administration, till 2 pm on Sunday, 1,100 vehicles and 9,900 pilgrims were present at Gangotri Dham. Around 8,500 pilgrims were also present at Yamunotri Dham and its walking route in the afternoon. There are as many as 500 vehicles and 4,500 devotees at Yamunotri’s last stop, Janki Chatti-Kharsali.