NEW DELHI: The Char Dham yatra was on Thursday suspended as the monsoon rains
caused landslides and blocked the roads to the Himalayan shrines of Badrinath
and Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. According to official reports, the Bhagirathi is
in spate and may breach the banks any time, leading to inundation of the surrounding areas. In Sonaprayag, a bridge has been washed away, disconnecting Gaurikund. Mandakini is also rising fast.
About a thousand pilgrims have been stranded along the Kedarnath route. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are in the process of rescuing them out from the lockeddown stretches.
The MeT department has predicted that the heavy rains and landslides at isolated places in the high altitude districts will continue for the next 48 hours. The Rudraprayag district authorities have stopped visitors from moving
up beyond Sonaprayag.
The yatra will resume soon after the rain stops and the route is declared safe.
A landslide beyond Joshimath has also cut off pilgrims on the Badrinath section. The SDRF and State police are on the job of clearing the road. The Sikh pilgrims heading for Hemkund Sahib have been stopped at Govindghat.
The rain was heavy in Munsyari (46 mm), Mukteshwar (39 mm), Gairsain (30 mm) and Uttarkashi (14 mm). However, the Gangotri and Yamunotri pilgrimages have so far not been affected as the rains along the reaches have been scanty so far.
The rain-hit districts are Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Pauri, Tehri, Nainital, Almora and Pithoragarh.
In 2013, over ten thousand pilgims and other visitors to Uttarakhand's high ranges were killed in a flash flood that devastated most of the State's hilly districts. The reconstruction and rehabilitation of the affected local population
is still incomplete.
The Char Dham Yatra constitutes pilgrimages to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath (Lord Shiva shrine) and Badrinath (Lord Krishna shrine). Chardham Yatra is the most popular spiritual yatra starting from April-May till till Oct-Nov
every year in the northern Indian Himalayan State of Uttarakhand. The Government is trying to promote winter Char Dham, which will include Kharsali, Mukhba, Ukhimath and Joshimath.
Char Dham Yatra routes:
To Yamunotri: From Haridwar/Rishikesh via Chamba-Barkot-Hanuman Chatti-Janki Chatti-Yamunotri; From Mussoorie to Barkot and onwards
To Gangotri: From Haridwar/Rishikesh via Chamba-Uttarkashi-Harsil-
Gangotri
To Kedarnath: From Haridwar-24 km-Rishikesh-71km-Devprayag-38km-Shrinagar-32km-Rudraprayag-17km-Agustmini-7km-Chanderpuri-28km-Guptakashi-14km-Phata-18km-Gaurikund-14km-Kedarnath
To Badrinath: From Haridwar-Rishikesh-Devprayag-Shrinagar-Rudraprayag-Gauchar-Karnaprayag-Nand Prayag-Chamoli-Dalang-Joshimath-Govindghat-Badrinath
(SEE ROUTE MAP)
