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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami praised the arrangements made for the Char Dham Yatra by the state's administration, claiming that this year's Kedarnath Dham has set a new record of receiving devotees this year.
"Even after the disaster this year, the number of devotees coming to Kedarnath Dham has set a new record as a result of the better arrangements made by the administration. The smooth, safe and well-organized Char Dham Yatra is the top priority of our government," he said. Earlier today, the CM visited the Kedarnath Dham and paid obeisance to Lord Shiva, wishing for the happiness, prosperity and well-being of the people of the state. Kedarnath Dham is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Moreover, the CM also took some feedback regarding the arrangements by talking to the devotees who came from all over the country. Kedarnath is part of one of the four high-altitude Dhams in Uttarakhand, consisting of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. The shrines remain shut for around six months every year, opening in the summers during April or May generally, and closing usually around October or November. The holy pilgrimage starts from Yamunotri, proceeds towards Gangotri, onto Kedarnath, and finally ends at Badrinath. The doors of Kedarnath Dham will be closing for the winter season on Sunday, November 3 at 8:30 AM. The Kedarnath site opened its doors on April 25. This year the whole Char Dham Yatra started with a delay of 17 days from May 10, whereas last year the opening of the doors of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham on 23 April started the journey. Last year 56.13 lakh pilgrims visited during the entire Yatra period. Similarly, 46.29 lakh pilgrims arrived for Char Dham Darshan in the year 2022 and 34.77 lakh pilgrims arrived in the year 2019. The yatra was affected due to corona infection in the years 2020 and 2021. The number of pilgrims in these two years was 3.30 lakh and 5.29 lakh respectively. (ANI)
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