Char Dham Yatra | 16 May 2024

Why in News?

Recently, the alarming scenes of a massive turnout at Yamunotri and long traffic blockades on the Kedarnath and Badrinath routes have forced the government to prioritize short-term and long-term solutions for the Char Dham yatra.

Key Points

• The Char-Dham yatra in Uttarakhand consists of visiting four temples, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.
• It holds profound spiritual significance in Hinduism. This journey typically occurs from April/May to October/November.
• The state is planning to create a "Dharmik Yatra Authority" that would regulate not only Char Dham yatra but also other pilgrimages like the Kanwar yatra.
• The authority will take a call on all issues, like deciding the number of daily pilgrims, routes, health, and security deployments, and all other arrangements.
• Uttarakhand is considering adopting the regulatory body for religious events similar to the one in Uttar Pradesh and will study its model before implementation.