Dehradun: Less than two weeks into the Char Dham Yatra, which began on April 19, more than four lakh devotees have already offered prayers at the four revered shrines — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.
A report shared by Dehradun-based think tank SDC Foundation revealed that the first-week footfall this year was 2.3 lakh, significantly lower than the 3.8 lakh recorded in 2024 and 2.9 lakh in 2025. The distribution of pilgrims so far includes 2 lakh at Kedarnath, 84,942 at Badrinath, 57,863 at Gangotri, and 57,794 at Yamunotri.
Founder of SDC Foundation, Anoop Nautiyal, attributed the lower initial turnout to the earlier commencement of the yatra this year. He said the shrines opened much sooner compared to previous years — Gangotri and Yamunotri on April 19, Kedarnath on April 22, and Badrinath on April 23. In comparison, the shrines opened between April 30 and May 4 in 2025, and between May 10 and May 12 in 2024.
“In 2024, the total number of operational pilgrimage days across all four shrines was 26 days, while in 2025 it was 22 days, and this year, it is 21 days. Fewer cumulative operational days naturally translate into lower aggregate pilgrim numbers,” he said.
However, officials maintained that better preparations was a major reason for footfall. Tourism secretary Dhiraaj Singh Garbyal said, “This year, we started online bookings on March 6, nearly 45 days before the start of the yatra. This gave devotees ample time to plan their pilgrimage. The numbers have been consistent, and we are confident of a strong response in the weeks ahead.”
