Chamoli: The pilgrimage to Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district has set a new record this year, with more than 18.67 lakh devotees having visited the revered shrine of Lord Badri Vishal so far.
The number of pilgrims has already surpassed the previous record of 18.39 lakh devotees, which was registered in 2023. The earlier record was broken in the first week of October this year, amid a steady rise in the number of devotees arriving at Badrinath Dham.
With the pilgrimage continuing to witness a strong turnout, the number of devotees visiting the shrine is expected to cross the 20 lakh mark this year. Officials and authorities are closely monitoring the situation as the flow of pilgrims continues to increase.
On Sunday alone, more than 14,000 devotees reached Badrinath Dham and offered prayers to Lord Badri Vishal. The steady arrival of pilgrims has resulted in increased movement of vehicles and people along the routes leading to the shrine.
Earlier, in 2023, a total of 18.39 lakh pilgrims had visited Badrinath Dham, marking the highest-ever footfall at the shrine at that time. However, the figure has now been surpassed in early October this year, setting a fresh record for the pilgrimage.
Given the continuing increase in the number of devotees, expectations are high that the Badrinath Yatra will establish another significant milestone this year. If the current pace of pilgrimage continues, the number of visitors could cross the 20 lakh-plus mark.
The pilgrimage is being conducted with heightened monitoring and preparedness, with the safety and security of devotees being kept as the top priority. The Disaster Management Department has been placed on round-the-clock alert in Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts, which are among the key districts connected with the Char Dham Yatra route.
The second phase of the Char Dham Yatra, which witnessed a renewed increase in pilgrim movement after the monsoon season, has seen a particularly sharp rise in the number of devotees travelling towards Badrinath Dham.
However, the growing influx of pilgrims is also creating traffic-related challenges at several points along the Badrinath National Highway. Traffic congestion has been reported at multiple locations, causing inconvenience to devotees travelling towards the shrine.
Thousands of pilgrims are continuing to arrive in Badrinath to offer prayers at the sacred shrine of Lord Badri Vishal. With the number of vehicles increasing along the route, long queues have been reported at several stretches between Karnaprayag and Badrinath.
Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation and maintain preparedness along the pilgrimage route as the number of devotees visiting Badrinath Dham continues to rise.
(IANS)
