The Char Dham Yatra has seen an increase in pilgrim movement following the opening of the Kedarnath Dham portals for the season. Officials associated with the temple administration said that devotees have been arriving in large numbers and that systems have been put in place to manage darshan and related services.
Rajkumar Tiwari, president of the Kedarnath Temple Committee, said it has been three days since the shrine opened for devotees. He added that the portals of the Bhairavnath Temple have also been opened as part of the customary seasonal process. According to him, around 110,000 pilgrims have visited Kedarnath for darshan so far this season. He stated that the flow of devotees is being regulated and that arrangements are functioning as per plan.
Tiwari also referred to attempts on social media to circulate unverified information about conditions at the shrine, stating that such narratives do not reflect the situation on the ground.
Umesh Chandra Posti, senior member of the Kedarnath Sabha, said the figure of approximately 110,000 devotees has been recorded in coordination with the Badarinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) and district authorities. He said that several posts circulating online present a misleading picture of arrangements at the shrine.
He added that a token-based system has been introduced to manage crowd movement and streamline darshan for visitors. According to him, the system is aimed at reducing congestion and ensuring orderly access to the temple. He said that administrative and temple teams are working continuously to manage arrangements during the peak pilgrimage period.
Kedarnath Sabha member Sanjay Tiwari said arrangements for lodging, food, and darshan have been organised jointly by the administration, temple committee, and local stakeholders. He said the opening of the Bhairavnath Temple portals is part of the established pilgrimage calendar followed each year.
The Kedarnath shrine, located in the higher Himalayas, typically witnesses a surge in footfall after the commencement of the Yatra season. Authorities have been deploying crowd regulation mechanisms, including token systems and advisory guidelines, to manage the influx of pilgrims.
Officials noted that arrangements are being implemented keeping in view the terrain and weather conditions of the region, which require continuous coordination among multiple agencies during the pilgrimage period.
