By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 22 May: The first three weeks of the ongoing Char Dham Yatra of 2025 have recorded a notable drop in pilgrim turnout in comparison to the first three weeks of the Yatra in 2024, continuing a downward trend that began in the very first week of the Char Dham Yatra and has persisted over the past three weeks.
According to an analysis by Dehradun-based environmental action and advocacy group, Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, a total of 10,91,406 pilgrims visited the Char Dham shrines between April 30 and May 20, 2025, as compared to 13,84,688 pilgrims during the same three-week period in 2024 from May 10 to May 30; a reduction of 2,93,282 pilgrims translating to a 21% decline.
“The decline began right from week one of the Yatra and has continued for three consecutive weeks,” said Anoop Nautiyal, Founder of SDC Foundation. “While the Indo-Pak tensions contributed significantly to the lower turnout in the second week, based on last year’s trend, we expected the footfall to recover after May 15. However, that has not happened so far.”
Another comparative, day to day analysis by SDC Foundation reveals sharp reductions in pilgrim numbers at Yamunotri (27%), Kedarnath (26%), and Gangotri (20%) during the same dates of 14 to 20 May in the third week of the ongoing Yatra compared to 14 to 20 May, 2024. The only exception has been Badrinath, which has seen a 17% increase in footfall during this comparative seven-day period of 2025, largely due to the ongoing Pushkar Kumbh Mela, being held after 12 years.
SDC Foundation has been closely monitoring the Char Dham Yatra over the years using official data sources. In 2024, the Foundation published a detailed report titled ‘Uttarakhand Char Dham Yatra 2024: Pathways to Pilgrimage – Data Insights, Challenges and Opportunities’, which was submitted to the then Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand.
The report offered a comprehensive set of recommendations on crowd management, ecological safeguards, health infrastructure, the need for stakeholder consultations and the critical need to implement carrying capacity driven pilgrim caps per shrine per day to ensure both safety and sustainability. It had also recommended streamlining the Char Dham Yatra registration system, which is often marred by complaints and is seen as being disorganised, chaotic and cumbersome by both the pilgrims and those in the domain of making travel arrangements.
“We have consistently made constructive recommendations to the state government based on trends, patterns, and data. The current scenario reaffirms the need to institutionalise those suggestions and rethink how the annual Char Dham Yatra is better planned, executed and governed in a time of climate crisis and disaster management volatility,” Anoop Nautiyal emphasised.
