Chardham yatra begins, here's what has changed due to COVID-19 pandemic

The Chardham Yatra, one of the most famous pilgrimages in Hinduism, has begun and devotees from different states are reaching to the divine place to offer their prayers. Since the country is hit with the COVID-19 outbreak, the process of Yatra is not as simple as it used to be before the coronavirus pandemic.

Pilgrims now have to register themselves for the Yatra and get an e-pass before visiting the four temples.

Pilgrims visiting the temples from outside the state are required to register not only on the Smart City portal but also on the Devasthanam Board portal.

Following the COVID-19 norms, a daily limit on the number of pilgrims visiting the temples has also been imposed. 

Authorities have also put a cap of 1,000 pilgrims daily on Badrinath, 800 on Kedarnath, 600 on Gangotri and 400 on Yamunotri.

The state government is working to simplify the registration process to ease it for lakhs of pilgrims who visit the state every year.

The Uttarakhand High Court vacated its stay on Chardham Yatra on September 16 in view of the decline in positive cases of the pandemic. The state government was also under pressure to start the yatra as the livelihoods of lakhs of people are linked with the annual pilgrimage.

The yatra remained suspended for months due to the pandemic in 2020 and opened in the month of June with a total of 3,21,609 devotees visiting temples during the entire season amid the COVID-induced restrictions.