No Char Dham pilgrimage, Uttarakhand govt allows temples to open, drops online pooja booking charges

With no pilgrim being allowed to undertake the Char Dham yatra following the coronavirus outbreak, the Government of Uttarakhand has decided to stick to the tradition and perform the usual rituals to keep the priests, and others dependent on the annual affair engaged. The government has also decided to drop the charges for booking an aarti, or other religious rituals, online to attract more number of devotees.

Dehradun (Uttarakhand): With pilgrimage to the revered ‘Char Dham’ - four Hindu shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, Gangotri - not allowed this year due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown and consequential travel curbs, the Government of Uttarakhand has decided to stick to the tradition and perform the usual rituals to keep the priests, and others dependent on the annual affair engaged.

The government has also decided to audio record the religious proceedings including the recitation of mantras, prayers, the performance of aarti, among other things, and make the same available online to the devotees.

The charges for booking an aarti, or other religious rituals, online are also likely to be dropped to attract more number of devotees.

The devotees will also be able to make donations and offerings online.

In the case of Kedarnath Dham, the charges for Mahabhishek is Rs 8,000, Rudrabhishek Rs 7,500, mini Rudrabhishek Rs 6,000 and Soundaspachar Rs 4,000.

At Badrinath Dham, the charges for Mahabhishek stands at Rs 4,500.

The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a shadow on the Char Dham yatra, with one-third of advance bookings - which was set to begin on April 16 - have been cancelled.

But to cut down on its losses, the Uttarakhand tourism department while urging yatris not to cancel their tickets has announced they would be allowed to undertake the pilgrimage any time in the next two years.

The Char Dham yatra had registered its highest-ever footfall of over 32 lakh devotees in 2019 and a huge turnout was expected this year as well.