Char Dham Yatra pilgrim footfall drops by 26% in opening week

Char Dham Yatra 2025

The Char Dham Yatra has witnessed a significant dip in the number of visitors during its first week in 2025. Compared to the same period last year, the number of pilgrims has dropped by around 26 per cent.

Between April 30 and May 6, nearly 2.9 lakh devotees visited the four Himalayan shrines, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri, whereas the footfall stood at 3.9 lakh during the same time in 2024. This means almost 1 lakh fewer people have taken part in the early phase of the yatra this year.

However, officials have attributed the dip to "improved planning and staggered registration", which helped streamline the pilgrim flow. To avoid overcrowding during the initial days, the Uttarakhand government opened online registration 40 days before the yatra began, while offline registration started just a few days before the annual pilgrimage started.

State Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj explained that stricter protocols like mandatory Aadhaar verification and proper document checks were implemented to ensure safety and reduce congestion. "We opened more offline booking counters and as a result of proper planning, we were able to prevent overcrowding," TOI quoted the minister as saying.

According to Anoop Nautiyal, founder of the SDC Foundation, another reason for the reduced footfall could be the staggered opening of the four shrines this year. "In 2024, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri opened on May 10, while Badrinath opened on May 12. In contrast, this year, Kedarnath opened on May 2, after the portals of Yamunotri and Gangotri opened on April 30, followed by Badrinath on May 4. This has contributed to a slower and more scattered build-up of pilgrim momentum,” Nautiyal told TOI.

Despite the quieter start, over 25 lakh pilgrims have already registered, suggesting that a much larger crowd is expected in the coming weeks, especially as summer vacations begin. "We urge the govt and all stakeholders to treat this pilgrimage not just as a tourism event, but as a spiritually sacred and environmentally delicate exercise, one that requires balance, planning, and foresight," Nautiyal added.

As of Wednesday, over 25 lakh people had registered for the yatra: 8.7 lakh for Kedarnath, 7.8 lakh for Badrinath, 4.5 lakh for Gangotri, and 4.1 lakh for Yamunotri.