Kedarnath Yatra halted for tomorrow amid incessant snowfall, orange alert

Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand) [India], May 2 (ANI): The Kedarnath Yatra in Uttarakhand has been halted for tomorrow in the wake of incessant snowfall, officials said on Tuesday. Kedarnath Dham is one of the Char Dhams in the state.

An orange alert has also been issued in the region. The registration of pilgrims for Kedarnath has also been suspended till May 3, 2023, the district administration said.

“Due to bad weather and snowfall in Kedarnath, the registration of pilgrims for Kedarnath has been stopped till tomorrow May 3. The decision regarding registration will be taken keeping in view the weather conditions,” Mayur Dixit, Rudraprayag District Magistrate (DM) said.

Meanwhile, the registrations are being done only for Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham at the passenger registration centre located in Rishikesh, the District Magistrate added.
On Monday, the Meteorological Department issued an alert of rain and snowfall in the high Himalayan regions for the next 2-3 days.

Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mayur Dixit said that an appeal has been made for the safety of the pilgrims coming to visit Kedarnath Dham. Earlier on April 25 the day the doors of Kedarnath Dham opened, the Uttarakhand government stopped accepting registration applications from pilgrims for the Kedarnath Dham Yatra in view of heavy snowfall on the pilgrimage route and a warning of inclement weather by the Met Department.

The Kedarnath temple is one of the most revered temples in the country dedicated to Lord Shiva and people from across the country visit the temple during the six months when the temple is open.

The Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimages in India. This pilgrimage is a tour of four holy sites – Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri – nestled high up in the Himalayas.