By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The Char Dham Yatra has gained fresh momentum with the monsoon gradually withdrawing from Uttarakhand, with pilgrim footfall surging to more than 42,000 in a single day after remaining subdued in recent weeks.
As many as 42,002 pilgrims visited the Char Dham shrines and Hemkund Sahib on October 1 (Thursday), sharply up from the recent daily average of around 13,000. According to official figures, 17,379 pilgrims visited Kedarnath, the highest among the four shrines, followed by 9,889 at Gangotri, 6,849 at Badrinath and 5,786 at Yamunotri. Another 2,099 pilgrims visited Hemkund Sahib.
On Wednesday (Sept 30), 40116 pilgrims had visited the Char Dham shrines.
The yatra had been suspended on September 26 and 27 following incessant rainfall and adverse weather conditions across the state. The gradual improvement in weather has since encouraged pilgrims to resume their journey.
The sudden rise in footfall comes as the pilgrimage season enters its final phase, with a large number of devotees making the most of the improving weather conditions before the shrines close for the winter.
Officials have, however, advised pilgrims to remain alert as weather conditions in the Himalayan region can change rapidly. The IMD has stated that Uttarakhand is likely to experience scattered rainfall on Oct 5-7.