PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE / Dehradun
The Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib Yatras are witnessing a massive rush this year too, with registrations crossing the 43 lakh mark as the pilgrimage season picks up pace ahead of the summer peak. According to the latest figures released on Thursday evening, a total of 43.33 lakh pilgrims have registered so far for Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib. Among all the shrines, Kedarnath has recorded the highest number of registrations at 14.33 lakh, followed by Badrinath with 12.95 lakh registrations. Gangotri has seen 7.69 lakh registrations, while Yamunotri has recorded 7.42 lakh. Registrations for Hemkund Sahib stand at 93,391.
Officials said that the inflow of pilgrims is continuing to rise steadily, with nearly 1.84 lakh pilgrims scheduled to visit the shrines over the next two days. Around 91,624 pilgrims are expected on May 29 and another 92,304 on May 30. Badrinath is said to have seen the highest single-day footfall on Thursday with over 31,000 pilgrims. Offline registration centres across the State are also witnessing heavy crowds. On Thursday alone, 30,740 pilgrims completed registrations through physical counters.
The Rishikesh Transit Camp remained the busiest registration centre, handling 13,321 registrations in a single day, followed by Haridwar with 12,728 registrations. Centres at Herbertpur, Nayagaon and Rishikesh Gurudwara also reported significant pilgrim turnout. The government has advised pilgrims to complete registration in advance and follow their allotted darshan schedule to avoid overcrowding and ensure smooth movement during the Yatra season.
The pilgrims, seeking assistance or information related to the Yatra, are free to contact the State tourism helpline at 1364.
