DEHRADUN, Apr 25: Over 1.24 lakh pilgrims visited the Kedarnath Dham within the first four days of the shrine opening its portals, marking a significant turnout for the 2026 yatra, officials said today.
A total of 1,24,782 devotees offered prayers since the doors opened on April 22, according to data released by the District Information Office. On Saturday, 31,160 pilgrims, including 21,035 men and 9,993 women, reached the temple by 5 pm.
Rudraprayag District Magistrate Vishal Mishra stated the pilgrimage is proceeding successfully under the directives of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Mishra added that administrative and police personnel are deployed at helipads and along the trek route to manage traffic and crowd movement.
“All teams are working diligently to ensure no inconvenience to devotees,” Mishra said. He further announced that evening ‘aarti’ at the shrine would commence today, following the opening of the Shri Bhairavnath temple portals.
Kedar Sabha president Rajkumar Tiwari dismissed reports of mismanagement, terming attempts to malign the shrine’s reputation as “condemnable.”
He said that the current arrangements allow every devotee to access the temple for ‘darshan’.
Umesh Chandra Posti, a senior member of the Kedar Sabha, urged pilgrims to disregard “misleading and false news” circulating on social media. He stated that the Shri Badarinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) and district authorities have implemented a token system to facilitate quicker darshan.
Sanjay Tiwari, another member of the Kedar Sabha, noted that residents and the administration have coordinated to provide adequate lodging and food for the influx of visitors.
The district administration continues to monitor the entire yatra route through a dedicated control room to ensure immediate response to any emergency, the officials added. (PTI)
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