For the first time in the history, the number of devotees visiting the Kedarnath temple has been a record high. As per reports, by the end of August, 7 lakh devotees had already visited the temple. An earlier report had estimated that by the end of October, the temple will see 10 lakh visitors.
On the first day after the doors of Kedarnath Dham were thrown open for devotees, more than 25000 devotees visited the shrine. The numbers reached 5 lakh in the first two months. By June 30, the number of devotees coming to visit the Dham had reached 6 lakhs. The numbers had dipped from July to September due to the monsoon season. During this time, approximately 40 thousand pilgrims have reportedly visited the high altitude temple.
This season, the Jyotirlinga temple had welcomed devotees in a new avatar. Laser shows, new arrangements for devotees including a meditation cave, new pavements and several new amenities were added. PM Narendra Modi is also a devotee of the temple and has been personally monitoring the development project in and around the area.
In the past 22 days, the Kedarnath Yatra has reportedly gained momentum and the devotees are visiting in large numbers. Since the opening of the gates, around 7,00384 devotees have reportedly visited. As per reports, compared to last year, this year has seen double the number of devotees.
Meanwhile, SP Superintendent PN Meena reportedly took note of the travel arrangements and talked to the passengers. He thanked the pilgrims, traders, officers posted on duty and the security jawans for their cooperation in the Yatra. He assured that till the closure of the gates, all the basic amenities will be made better available to the devotees.
