Char Dham Yatra 2026 witnesses massive pilgrim rush as registrations cross 43 lakh. Kedarnath leads in registrations while Badrinath records highest daily footfall. Government issues advisory for devotees.
Dehradun: The annual Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib Yatras are witnessing an overwhelming response this year, with pilgrim registrations crossing the 43 lakh mark as the pilgrimage season moves toward its peak summer phase. The steady surge in devotees arriving in Uttarakhand has prompted authorities to intensify crowd management, traffic regulation and registration arrangements across key transit centres.
According to official data released on Thursday evening, a total of 43.33 lakh pilgrims have registered so far for the sacred shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Hemkund Sahib. Among the four Dhams, Kedarnath continues to attract the highest number of devotees, recording 14.33 lakh registrations, while Badrinath has received 12.95 lakh registrations. Gangotri has registered 7.69 lakh pilgrims, followed by Yamunotri with 7.42 lakh registrations. Registrations for Hemkund Sahib have crossed 93,000, reflecting strong turnout from Sikh devotees as well.
Officials stated that the inflow of pilgrims is increasing consistently with the onset of the summer travel season. Over the next two days alone, nearly 1.84 lakh pilgrims are expected to undertake the pilgrimage. As per the projected schedule, around 91,624 pilgrims are likely to visit the shrines on May 29, while another 92,304 pilgrims are expected on May 30.
Among all pilgrimage destinations, Badrinath Dham recorded the highest single-day footfall on Thursday, with more than 31,000 devotees visiting the shrine. Authorities are closely monitoring crowd movement and maintaining coordination between district administrations, police personnel, disaster management teams and health services to ensure safe and smooth pilgrimage operations.
Offline registration centres across Uttarakhand are also witnessing heavy crowds as thousands of pilgrims continue to opt for on-the-spot registrations. On Thursday alone, 30,740 pilgrims completed registration through physical counters established at different transit points.
The Rishikesh Transit Camp emerged as the busiest registration hub, handling 13,321 registrations in a single day. This was followed by Haridwar, where 12,728 pilgrims completed their registration formalities. Significant footfall was also reported at registration centres in Herbertpur, Nayagaon and Rishikesh Gurudwara.
In view of the rapidly increasing rush, the State government has appealed to pilgrims to complete their registration process in advance and strictly adhere to their allotted darshan schedules. Officials said that advance planning and staggered movement of pilgrims are essential to prevent overcrowding and ensure better management along the Yatra routes.
The administration has further advised devotees to remain updated about weather conditions, traffic advisories and health precautions before beginning their journey to the Himalayan shrines.
Pilgrims seeking assistance, registration support or travel-related information regarding the Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib Yatras can contact the Uttarakhand Tourism Department’s helpline number 1364, which remains operational round the clock during the Yatra season.
