The holy shrine of Kedarnath has broken all records this year. Approx 7.3 lakh pilgrims have already visited the shrine in the first 45 days of this year’s Char Dham Yatra.
This is the highest ever in the recorded history of the Himalayan shrine. On some days, the shrine recorded a footfall of approx. 36,000 people. This itself is a record. The highest footfall was witnessed on June 7 when 36,179 devotees visited the shrine.
The local authorities attribute the huge footfall to PM Mod’s visits which have made the temple a popular destination for followers.
CEO of Badri-Kedar Temple Committee BD Singh said, “We still have five more months to go. We are hopeful that this year footfall will cross 15 lakhs by the end of the yatra in October.”
BL Rana, general manager of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, said, “Kedarnath is very close to the Prime Minister’s heart and he closely monitors all development works in the area. The demand for the meditation cave has also increased among the people after the PM’s visit.”
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The shrine had also witnessed its worst natural calamity in 2013, when flash floods resulted in the death of thousands of devotees. From 3.33 lakh people, the numbers drastically decreased to 40,922 after the floods. The number increased to 3.09 lakh in 2016 and then has been steadily rising with 4.71 lakh pilgrims in 2017 and 7.32 lakh in 2018. But 2019, in the first 45 days, has broken all records.