Kedarnath Turns Into Epicentre of Char Dham Rush Even as Overall Pilgrim Footfall Drops 3.7%
DEHRADUN:
Kedarnath is increasingly emerging as the pressure point of the Char Dham Yatra, with the Himalayan shrine drawing even bigger crowds this year despite an overall decline of 3.7 per cent in pilgrim arrivals across Uttarakhand’s four sacred dhams.
Fresh data analysis released by the Dehradun-based SDC Foundation shows that the first month of the 2026 Yatra has recorded 63,829 fewer pilgrims compared to last year.
Between April 19 and May 18 this year, 16,43,182 pilgrims visited Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri against 17,07,011 pilgrims during the same period in 2025.
What is worrying planners and environmental observers is the sharp concentration of pilgrims towards Kedarnath.
The shrine alone attracted 6,65,140 devotees in the first month this year compared to 6,49,161 last year, even as the other three dhams witnessed declining numbers.
Kedarnath’s share in the total Char Dham footfall has now climbed to 40.5 per cent from 38 per cent last year.
Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, meanwhile, have witnessed a visible slowdown in pilgrim arrivals.
Badrinath received 4,28,973 pilgrims this year against 4,57,409 last year, while Gangotri and Yamunotri also posted moderate declines, reflecting a broader dip in pilgrimage movement across Uttarakhand.
Rising travel costs triggered by the ongoing Middle-East crisis are now being seen as one of the possible reasons behind the reduced footfall.
With global crude oil prices shooting up amid geopolitical tensions, transport fares and package tour costs have increased sharply this season, making the pilgrimage more expensive for thousands of families travelling from across the country.
Despite the decline, the daily influx into Uttarakhand’s fragile Himalayan corridors remains alarmingly high.
Around 55,000 pilgrims are currently reaching the Char Dham shrines every day, putting enormous stress on roads, accommodation facilities, emergency services and mountain ecosystems already vulnerable to landslides, flash floods and climate-linked disasters.
Safety concerns are also mounting as the Yatra season records rising pilgrim deaths.
According to the May 18 report of the State Emergency Operation Centre, 55 pilgrims have died during the ongoing Yatra so far, including 30 deaths in Kedarnath alone, followed by 10 in Badrinath, eight in Yamunotri and seven in Gangotri.
Vehicular pressure on the mountain state is also becoming unprecedented this year.
Official data shows that more than 1,47,453 vehicles have entered the Char Dham circuit within the first month itself, intensifying congestion, pollution and crowd management concerns along narrow Himalayan routes.
The Uttarakhand government’s repeated celebration of record-breaking pilgrim numbers under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has increasingly drawn criticism from ecologists and environmental activists.
Critics argue that the state’s obsession with continuously increasing footfall figures is pushing the fragile Himalayan ecosystem beyond its carrying capacity, particularly in Kedarnath where infrastructure, waste management and emergency response systems are already under severe strain.
Environmentalists are warning that Kedarnath is silently bearing the ecological brunt of Uttarakhand’s aggressive pilgrimage push.
Commenting on the findings, Anoop Nautiyal said that while pilgrim numbers remain economically significant, there is an urgent need to shift focus towards carrying capacity, ecological sensitivity and long-term sustainability.
The growing obsession with record-breaking pilgrim numbers, activists say, is masking deeper ecological vulnerabilities in the Himalayas.
The Foundation has repeatedly raised concerns over unchecked tourism expansion, disaster risks, waste generation and mobility stress in Uttarakhand, arguing that the mountains are showing visible signs of environmental fatigue under the relentless pressure of mass pilgrimage tourism.
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