The Chardham Yatra consists of Yatra to the highest revered piligrimage destination in the Himalayas for Hindus. Chardham stands for the Four Destinations of Badrinath, Gangotri,Kedarnath and Yamunotri. It is a popular tourist destination. Decades back, only Badrinath and Kedarnath were visited but now the Chardham package has become common for people.
Chardham is a very important milestone in spiritual path for Hindus for the original chardham was the four corners of India- Puri,Dwarka,Badrinath and Kedarnath. There is nothing mandatory in Hinduism like a Haj Yatra but these places have divine energy and have been visited for centuries by Hindus across the Country. The Chardham Yatra starts on Akshaya Tritiya and ends on Bhai Dooj which comes two days after Diwali.
The Yatra wasnt popular among normal Hindus barring ascetics due to inaccessible terrains and no road connectivity. History lessons tell us that the 1962 war opened up this region after we invested heavily in road infrastructure in the border area. Since road access was made to less than 15 kms from main shrine, the yatra started receiving its importance. One can drive directly to Badrinath, while to others, it is either a walk/pony/doli/helicopter ride. Most prefer to visit the place before July monsoons since monsoons increase the slipperiness of the Ghat Roads.
Dehradoon based Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation estimates around 55 lakh tourists this year to Chardham which is expected to rise to 80 Lakh pilgrims by 2023. BJP Government is also working on direct train connectivity to the Chardham Places. The 327 kms project costing around INR 43,293 Cr Rs was started in May 2017& track laying is expected to start in Jan 2020.
