Uttarakhand

• 31 Dec 2022

Uttarakhand Sets New Record in Chardham and Kanwar Yatra

Why in News?

• According to information received from the media on December 30, 2022, the year 2022 proved to be good for Uttarakhand in the field of pilgrimage and tourism. Chardham and Kanwar Yatras, which resumed after Corona, were at their peak. Two new records were also set.

Key Points

• According to the information, the Kanwar Mela took place two years after the Corona period and 3 crore 82 lakh devotees took a dip in the Ganges. Haridwar's business received a booster dose from the record rush of devotees. The Chardham Yatra also put Haridwar's hotel and travelers business on track.
• The entire economy of Haridwar is dependent on devotees. During the Corona period, the salaries of the employees of businessmen in Haridwar were forced to pay electricity and water bills and school fees of children. The havoc of Corona subsided, but the number of devotees did not increase due to the restrictions, but the Kanwar Mela held from July 14 to July 27 gave a booster dose to the haridwar business.
• Over 3.82 crore devotees from several states of north India took a dip in the River Ganga and left for their destinations carrying Ganga water. No untoward incident took place at the fair even after the historic crowd. The police and the fair administration conducted the fair well.
• Two years after the Corona period, the Chardham Yatra, which went on without restrictions, has set a new record this year. For the first time, more than 46 lakh pilgrims visited the four shrines. The CharDham Yatra came to an end this year with the closure of the portals of Badrinath Dham on November 19.
• Significantly, this time 17 lakh 60 thousand 646 devotees reached Badrinath Dham. At the same time, a record number of pilgrims reached Gangotri Dham. This time 624451 pilgrims reached the dham, while 485635 pilgrims reached yamunotri dham for darshan. This year, a record number of more than 15 lakh pilgrims have reached Kedarnath Yatra, while the yatra has earned a turnover of Rs 211 crore.
• As many as 281 pilgrims also died due to various reasons during the Chardham Yatra amid claims by the government of better healthcare facilities. During the yatra period, the health department had started health screening at nine places on the yatra routes.