By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Dehradun: The advance of the southwest monsoon into Uttarakhand has begun to impact the ongoing Chardham yatra, with pilgrim arrivals witnessing a noticeable decline, particularly at the Kedarnath shrine.
Official figures show that the total number of pilgrims visiting the four Himalayan shrines and Hemkund fell by 22.3 per cent on Thursday. While 27,232 devotees undertook the pilgrimage on Wednesday, the figure dropped to 21,161 the following day.
The sharpest decline was recorded at Kedarnath, where 3,837 pilgrims offered prayers on Friday, compared to 6,384 on Thursday—a fall of 39.9 per cent in just 24 hours. The shrine, which involves a strenuous trek and is more susceptible to adverse weather conditions, is often the first to witness a dip in footfall after the onset of the monsoon.
Badrinath also saw a significant decline. The temple received 8,863 pilgrims on Thursday against 13,192 the previous day, registering a 32.8 per cent drop in daily arrivals.
Pilgrim numbers are also expected to remain subdued over the next few days as the India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in several parts of the hill state, prompting many devotees to postpone their travel plans.
Despite the recent slowdown, the Chardham yatra has already set a new benchmark this year. Since the pilgrimage commenced on April 18, a record 42.72 lakh pilgrims have visited the four sacred shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has described the turnout as the highest-ever for the Char Dham Yatra, attributing the record footfall to improved infrastructure, enhanced safety measures and better travel facilities provided by the state government.