Char Dham Yatra draws 1.26 million pilgrims in 25 days as safety measures emphasized

Uttarakhand’s Char Dham Yatra has recorded a historic surge, with more than 1.26 million devotees visiting the four Himalayan shrines in the first 25 days since the pilgrimage began on April 19. Official figures show 523,582 pilgrims at Kedarnath, 324,081 at Badrinath, 205,425 at Gangotri and 207,390 at Yamunotri. On a single day, 80,401 pilgrims visited the sites, with Kedarnath alone receiving over 32,000 visitors.

State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the safety and convenience of pilgrims remain the top priority. The government has strengthened slot‑management and crowd‑control systems, introduced real‑time digital monitoring of weather, and deployed medical camps, oxygen facilities and ambulance services along the routes. Despite these measures, 40 pilgrim deaths have been reported so far—22 at Kedarnath, 7 at Badrinath, 6 at Yamunotri and 5 at Gangotri—mainly due to heart attacks, altitude sickness and exhaustion. Authorities are urging mandatory health check‑ups, urging pilgrims to heed weather advisories and improving infrastructure such as trekking paths and helicopter emergency services.