admin Published: 15 Jun, 2019

Prominent Surge in Pilgrims: Kedarnath Dham Sets New Record Since Flash Flood 2013

An illustrious part of the world-renowned Chardham Yatra, Kedarnath is one of the most paramount locations for worshipers of Lord Shiva. Located on the Garhwal Himalayan Range in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, the pilgrimage destination has always drawn countless pilgrims from all around India and abroad. But it was in the year 2013 when the flash flood in Kedarnath caused great destruction which haunted the locals as well as the pilgrims. This led to a decline in the number of pilgrims visiting the popular pilgrimage destination in Uttarakhand.

But, Kedarnath Yatra seems to be growing towards making a new record this year as the number of pilgrims visiting the Kedarnath Shrine was almost equal to that of the Badrinath Shrine after a month’s journey. Till 11 June 2019, the number of pilgrims reaching Badrinath and Kedarnath showed a difference with only 2284 which is a great scoop. Well, the tremendous boom in the number of pilgrims is the result of the continuous efforts made by the authorities in charge of the renovation of Kedarnath which has finally come into the limelight.

The Number of Pilgrims Bowing Thier Head at the All the Four Shrines

As per the Tourism Department of Uttarakhand, close to 18 lakh pilgrims have bowed down their head in all the four shrines of the Char Dham Yatra till 12 June 2019. Of which, the number of pilgrims reaching Badrinath was around 5,68,270 and those reaching Kedarnath was 5,62,200. This is quite a great bounce when compared to the year 2018 when in the first month more pilgrims reached Badrinath (4,39,472) than Kedarnath (41,667).

In addition to this, the number of pilgrims in Badrinath in the year 2018 were 3,16,060. But Kedarnath surely deserves a mention as it has seen an increase in the number of pilgrims when compared to the last year. In the year 2018, the total number of pilgrims visiting the Kedarnath shrine was around 7,31,991. But this year, it is only in the second week of June when the pilgrimage site has experienced a total of 5,62,200 pilgrims.

Data of Pilgrims Visited Badrinath and Kedarnath (2013-18)

Year	Badrinath (Number of Pilgrims)	Kedarnath (Number of Pilgrims)
2013	4,97,386	3,33,656
2014	1,50,060	40,922
2015	3,66,455	1,54,385
2016	6,54,355	3,09,764
2017	9,20,466	4,71,235
2018	10,48,051	7,31,991

Data of Pilgrims Visiting Chardham Yatra 2019 Till Date

Chardham Shrine	Number of Pilgrims
Badrinath	5,68,270
Kedarnath	5,62,200
Gangotri	3,02,798
Yamunotri	3,00,598

PM Narendra Modi’s Meditation Cave Became the Centre of Attraction

Right after the renovation of the Kedarnath, the number of pilgrims visiting Kedar Puri has steadily increased. Also, the repeated visit to Kedarnath by PM Narendra Modi also gained the trust of the pilgrims who have now started visiting the cave in Kedarnath where Modi meditated. In a nutshell, the number of pilgrims continues to grow and we can even say, in the coming days, the number is sure to touch a new figure.

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