The doors of Gangotri-Yamunotri open on May 3, Kedarnath on May 6 and Badrinath on May 8 on Akshaya Tritiya. More than 60 lakh passengers are expected this time.
So far, 2 lakh 50 thousand 213 passengers have also registered. More than one lakh passengers have registered for the darshan of Baba Kedarnath.
However, in view of the increasing cases of corona, the government has limited the number of devotees going to visit. According to the government directive, only 15,000 pilgrims can visit Badrinath every day, 12,000 in Kedarnath Dham, 7,000 in Gangotri and only 4,000 in Yamunotri every day. This arrangement will remain in force for the next 45 days.
Registration is necessary before the journey, if you are going by your car, then you will have to make a green card…
Before starting the Char Dham Yatra, you need to get registered at registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in.
If you are not able to register online, then 24 centers have been set up by the Uttarakhand government in Haridwar, Dehradun, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts, where you can register before starting the journey.
Hi-tech hand bands will be given to those who register offline, through which the tracking of passengers can be done in case of emergency.
After online registration you will get a QR code on your registered mobile number.
Green Card: If you want to go on Char Dham Yatra by your car, then you will have to get its fitness checked. This work can be done in Haridwar’s RTO and Rishikesh’s RTO office.
Health Checkup: The Char Dhams are situated at a great height above sea level and are also inaccessible. The temperature here remains between 10 to 15 degrees. So take care of your health, go out only after getting a checkup. Due to the high altitude, people suffering from respiratory diseases should also carry oxygen cylinders with them.
Keep warm clothes with you because of the cold. Carry good trekking or sports shoes. Be sure to carry a liter of water, a raincoat or an umbrella, as it can rain at any time in hilly areas.
You can also book tour packages for Char Dham
Tour package is also available from Rishikesh for Char Dham Yatra, which will be of 10 days. In this you will return to Rishikesh via Yamunotri-Gangotri-Kedarnath-Badrinath.
The special thing is that you will be able to visit Char Dham in less than 30 thousand rupees.
Apart from this, there is also a package of 6 days tour, which includes travel from Rishikesh to Kedarnath and Badrinath.
If you want to go with your small family then you can also book 12 seater non AC tempo traveler.
Air travel to Kedar Dham can be booked from GMVN’s website gmvnonline.com.
Helicopter service to Kedarnath is available from Guptkashi, Phata and Sirsi.
The fare to and from Guptkashi is Rs 7,750, from Phata Rs 4,720 and from Sirsi Rs 4,680.
IRCTC has also offered tour packages. This package of 10 nights and 11 days will cost Rs 58,220 per passenger. For this, you can contact on IRCTC website irctc.com.
Yamunotri Dham will have to walk 6 kilometers on foot
The doors of this Yamunotri Dham falling in Uttarkashi will open at 12.15 am on Akshaya Tritiya on May 3.
The distance from Rishikesh to Yamunotri by road is about 242 kms. It takes 6-7 hours to reach.
There is an arrangement for overnight stay and food and drink near Janki Chatti.
Apart from this, one can also stay at Hanuman Chatti, Rana Chatti, Sayana Chatti and Barkot.
To go to Yamunotri, leave early in the morning, so that Janki will return to Chatti by evening, as there is no accommodation in Yamunotri.
There is Divya Shila and Surya Kund near the temple. There is a hot water pool here, in which you can also take a bath.
Here potatoes and rice are cooked in hot water, which the pilgrims take home as prasad.
Great spots will be found around Gangotri Dham
On the day of Akshaya Tritiya, Mother Ganga is brought to Gangotri from Mukhba village with great pomp.
Mukhba village is 5 km away from Harshil. Here the winter worship of Mother Ganga is done.
In the morning after worship in Gangotri Dham, one can also attend the grand aarti.
21 km trek to Kedarnath Dham
Kedarnath Dham is the most important of all the 12 Jyotirlingas. It is believed that if the devotees going to Badrinath do not visit Kedarnath Dham, then their journey remains incomplete.
The process has already started before the doors are opened. On May 1, Panchmukhi Doli of Lord Kedarnath has left with Bhairav Puja.
Doli will reach Phata on May 3 and Gaurikund on May 4 after staying at Vishwanath Temple, Guptkashi on May 2. On May 5, this doli will leave from Gaurikund for Kedarnath Dham.
To go to Kedar Dham, you can reach Sonprayag by your own car or government bus.
You can stay at Sonprayag or Gaurikund. It is better to book hotels in advance.
You will have to travel 5 kilometers from Sonprayag to Gaurikund by a private taxi.
To stay in Kedarnath, hotel booking has to be done in advance. Government guest houses or tents can also be booked here.
You can go further from Gaurikund to Kedarnath Dham by horse, palanquin or on foot trekking.
Take bath in hot spring and worship at Badrinath Dham
The doors of Badrinath Dham may open on May 8, but on May 6, at 9 in the morning, worship programs will start from Shri Narsingh Temple, Joshimath.
The distance from Rishikesh to Badrinath is about 300 kms. There are good accommodation facilities here.
34 lakh passengers came before Corona
In the year 2019 before the knock of the Corona epidemic, 34 lakh passengers came on the Char Dham Yatra. In 2020, this number has come down to 4 lakh 34 thousand. At the same time, only 3 lakh 49 thousand passengers could reach Char Dham in 2021.
Till April 30 this year, 44 thousand 127 passengers have registered for Gangotri, while 44,951 registrations have been done for Yamunotri. At the same time 70 thousand people have registered for Badrinath.
This time non-Hindus will also be verified.
During the Char Dham Yatra, all the passengers going to Uttarakhand from neighboring states including UP, Delhi will be verified.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami had said recently that verification of non-Hindus will be done before going on Char Dham Yatra. He did not take the name of any particular religion. CM Dhami had talked about starting it from the point of view of security in the state.
