By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The first batch of devotees from Rishikesh on Thursday left for the high altitude Shri Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
Governor Lt. Gen (retd) Gurmeet Singh and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami flagged off the bus carrying the devotees and also wished them a smooth and safe journey.
The doors of this famous Sikh pilgrimage site, located at an altitude of 15000 feet in the Garhwal region, will be opened on May 25.
Describing this journey to Hemkund Sahib as a symbol of faith, devotion and belief, the Governor said that the difficult journey of about 18 kilometers to the pilgrimage site is a test of patience and courage of every devotee.
He said that the government is constantly making efforts to make the Sri Hemkund Sahib Yatra more simple, smooth and safe. Appreciating the preparations made by the administration and the Gurudwara Management Committee on the travel routes, he urged the devotees to discard plastic and promote local products.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that the pilgrimage to Shri Hemkund Sahib is a unique confluence of the religious and spiritual culture of our state. Describing Hemkund Sahib as the center of divine energy, Dhami said that despite the inaccessible terrain and difficulty of weather, thousands of devotees come to this pilgrimage every year. So far more than 60000 devotees have registered for Hemkund Sahib.
The Chief Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government is making the Hemkund Sahib Yatra simple and easy.