Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 23 Sep: The Char Dham Yatra is setting new milestones this year, with Badrinath Dham witnessing an unprecedented surge in pilgrim numbers. For the first time in the shrine’s history, more than 17,79,805 (17.80 lakhs) devotees have visited the shrine so far this year, breaking all the previous records, even though the temple doors are scheduled to close after another one and a half to two months. The Badrinath Dham had opened this year on 23 April, and within 153 days till 22 September, the Badrinath Yatra has already established a new benchmark of faith.
The tourism department figures show that in 2000, the year of Uttarakhand’s formation, Badrinath Dham had recorded 6,95,332 visitors. The number rose to 7,68,107 in 2007 and crossed 10 lakhs in 2008 and 2010. However, the devastating disaster of 2013 reduced the count drastically to 1,59,575 in 2014. In 2018 and 2019, the shrine drew 10,48,051 and 12,44,993 devotees respectively, but the Covid pandemic again curtailed numbers to between 1.5 and 2 lakhs. In 2020, only 1,55,055 pilgrims visited, while in 2021 the figure was 1,99,409.
The officials claim that with the improved management and expanded facilities under the Dhami government, pilgrim numbers have consistently set records since 2022. That year, 17,63,578 devotees visited, followed by 17,80,429 in 2023, 17,74,264 in 2024 and a peak of 17,78,298 in 2025. This year, the upward trend continues, with 6,685 devotees offering prayers on Tuesday alone.
Commenting on the development, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami noted that in view of the rising influx during the second phase of the Char Dham Yatra, special focus has been placed on enhancing facilities at shrines and halting points, while health and safety arrangements have been strengthened. He added that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, work is progressing rapidly to give Badrinath Dham a grand, divine and well‑organised form in keeping with its religious and mythological significance, ensuring better facilities for pilgrims.
