Dehradun | 8 May 2025
The Char Dham Yatra 2025 has begun on a slower-than-expected note, with a 26% dip in pilgrim footfall during its first week as compared to last year—sparking fresh concerns over planning, crowd management, and real-time preparedness.
According to data analysed by SDC Foundation, a Dehradun-based environmental advocacy group, only 2,93,386 pilgrims visited the holy shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri between April 30 and May 6. In contrast, the same period in 2024 (May 10 to May 16) witnessed a much higher count of 3,98,010 pilgrims. The difference—over 1.04 lakh pilgrims—suggests that the staggered opening of shrines this year may have disrupted the initial momentum of the Yatra.
“In 2024, the Yatra had a uniform start as three shrines opened on the same day, May 10. This year, Kedarnath opened two days later on May 2 and Badrinath even later on May 4, leading to a scattered start,” said Anoop Nautiyal, founder of SDC Foundation. He believes the numbers may pick up in the second half of May as summer vacations begin and pilgrims arrive in larger numbers.
However, the real issue goes beyond just numbers.
SDC Foundation—known for its consistent advocacy for sustainable mountain tourism—has warned that this yearly race for record-breaking footfall must not overshadow the bigger picture: fragile infrastructure, ecological degradation, and the urgent need for data-backed management.
The group’s 2024 report, ‘Uttarakhand Char Dham Yatra: Pathways to Pilgrimage’, had already flagged serious challenges related to carrying capacity, crowd regulation, safety gaps, and the absence of real-time communication systems. Those warnings, it said, are even more relevant this year.
“Treating Char Dham Yatra as just another tourism event is dangerous,” Nautiyal warned. “It’s a sacred, spiritual journey through an ecologically sensitive Himalayan zone. What we need is balance, not bravado.”
As the Yatra picks up pace in coming weeks, the spotlight must remain not on record-breaking pilgrim counts but on how safely and sustainably the state can handle them.
With climate change, landslide-prone roads, and recurring natural disasters becoming routine in Uttarakhand, many experts now argue it’s time to hit pause and rethink the Char Dham model—from volume to value, from numbers to nuance.
Is the state listening?
