Under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s leadership, Uttarakhand’s Char Dham Yatra is on track to set a historic record this year. In just 25 days since the pilgrimage began on April 19, more than 1.26 million devotees have visited the sacred Himalayan shrines. This surge in pilgrims showcases a remarkable display of faith and devotion, according to officials.
A strong sense of faith and devotion is evident across all four Char Dham shrines. By May 13, a total of 1,260,478 devotees had completed the Char Dham Yatra. Among them, 523,582 pilgrims visited Kedarnath Temple, 324,081 visited Badrinath Temple, 205,425 reached Gangotri Temple, and 207,390 devotees visited Yamunotri Temple.
On a single day, Wednesday, 80,401 pilgrims offered prayers across the four shrines. Kedarnath Temple recorded the highest footfall with 32,423 devotees, followed by Badrinath with 21,260 pilgrims. Meanwhile, 13,403 devotees visited Yamunotri and 13,315 pilgrims paid obeisance at Gangotri.
Kedarnath Temple has seen the most pilgrim influx among the four shrines. Despite the challenging mountainous terrain and unpredictable weather, over 523,000 devotees have already visited Kedarnath in just 22 days. On Wednesday alone, more than 32,000 pilgrims arrived at the shrine, making it the busiest among all four Dhams.
The increase in pilgrims is credited to enhanced infrastructure, improved crowd management, and extensive redevelopment efforts at Kedarnath under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative. The once-devastated temple town now presents a majestic and spiritually enriching ambiance, attracting devotees in record numbers.
Chief Minister Dhami emphasized that ensuring the safety and convenience of pilgrims remains the government’s top priority. With the pilgrimage route traversing high-altitude Himalayan terrain, the state administration is vigilantly monitoring weather conditions and has directed officials to implement prompt response measures in case of adverse situations.
To streamline the pilgrimage experience, the government has bolstered slot management systems, crowd-control measures, and real-time digital monitoring. Additionally, authorities have enhanced the trekking path to Kedarnath, making the journey safer and more comfortable for elderly pilgrims and families.
Official data from the past four years underscores the increasing popularity of the Kedarnath Yatra. Between 2022 and 2025, nearly 6.95 million devotees visited the shrine, with numbers progressively rising each year, indicating growing public trust in the administration’s travel arrangements and infrastructure enhancements.
