By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Dehradun: With the southwest monsoon becoming active across Uttarakhand, the ongoing Char Dham Yatra has witnessed a sharp decline in pilgrim arrivals, particularly at the Kedarnath shrine, as heavy rainfall and difficult travel conditions have prompted many devotees to defer their journeys.
Official figures show that the total number of pilgrims visiting the four Himalayan shrines and Hemkund Sahib fell by 53.7 per cent over the past week. While 27,232 devotees undertook the pilgrimage on July 1, the number dropped to 12,594 on July 7.
The sharpest decline was recorded at Kedarnath, where 1,649 pilgrims offered prayers on July 7 compared to 6,553 on July 1, marking a 74.8 per cent decline. The shrine, which involves a strenuous trek and is more susceptible to adverse weather conditions, is often the first among the Char Dham temples to witness a sharp dip in footfall after the onset of the monsoon.
Badrinath also witnessed a significant decline. The temple received 5,357 pilgrims on July 7, down from 13,192 on July 1, registering a 59.4 per cent drop in daily arrivals.
Gangotri and Yamunotri also recorded a steep fall in pilgrim numbers. While Gangotri witnessed a 44.5 per cent decline, with daily arrivals dropping from 2,116 on July 1 to 1,174 on July 7, Yamunotri registered a 45.9 per cent fall, from 2,043 pilgrims to 1,105 during the same period.
Traditionally, pilgrim arrivals begin to taper off after the onset of the monsoon as frequent landslides, road blockages and heavy rainfall make travel to the Himalayan shrines more challenging.
Pilgrim numbers are expected to remain subdued over the next few days as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across several parts of Uttarakhand, prompting many devotees to postpone their travel plans.
Despite the recent slowdown, the Char Dham Yatra has already set a new benchmark this year. Since the pilgrimage commenced on April 18, a record 43.57 lakh pilgrims have visited the sacred shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Hemkund Sahib till Jul 7.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has described this year’s turnout as the highest ever, attributing the record footfall to improved infrastructure, enhanced safety arrangements and better travel facilities created by the state government.