What is the winter Char Dham? Why is the Uttarakhand government promoting it?

Winter seats of Char Dham

Nestled in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand, are four revered Hindu shrines or dhams — Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath — collectively known as Char Dham.

Each year, from May to November, lakhs of pilgrims visit these shrines. According to Government of Uttarakhand data, more than 48 lakh pilgrims and 5.4 lakh vehicles visited Char Dham this year, accounting for roughly 8.4 per cent of Uttarakhand’s annual domestic tourist footfall.

The Char Dham yatra (pilgrimage) thus drives the state’s economy. But during the winter months, heavy snowfall leaves these shrines inaccessible, and their gates are shut. In fact, during the winter months, the presiding deities of these temples are brought to shrines at lower altitudes — Mukhba in Uttarkashi is the winter seat of Gangotri Dham; Kharsali in Uttarkashi is the winter seat of Yamunotri Dham; Kedarnath’s winter abode is the Omkareshwar Temple in Rudraprayag’s Ukhimath; and Badrinath’s is at Pandukeshwar in Chamoli.

The winter Char Dham is aimed at drawing pilgrims to these shrines, and thus attract tourist footfall to Uttarakhand during off-season months. As of December 30, the shrines recorded a footfall of 15,314 pilgrims with the Omkareshwar Temple seeing the highest footfall of 6,482 pilgrims followed by Pandukeshwar (5,104 pilgrims), Mukhba (3,114 pilgrims), and Kharsali (614 pilgrims).

Uttarakhand government’s hope

According to the Uttarakhand tourism department, the Char Dham nets the state more than Rs 200 crore annually as of 2022. However, the inflow during the winter season is yet to take off, although officials remain hopeful of more footfall as the yatra progresses this year.

Sachin Kurve, the state’s tourism secretary, said the programme will help change the image of Uttarakhand as just a summer destination.

“Since Char Dham occupies most of the tourism prospects in the state, once the shrines close, people have a perception that winter is not an apt time to visit the state. However, with the launch of winter Char Dham, people can visit lesser-known destinations in the vicinity of the four winter abodes, as we have been seeing over the last few days. This has impacted the economy as well,” he said.

“When the entire North India is blanketed by smog in winters, we would like to tap into this crowd as we popularly call it ‘sun tourism’. The winter Char Dham will reinvigorate tourism,” Kurve said.

Some concerns

Environmentalists and activists say that the yatra needs proper management with a sustainable approach.

“Looking at pilgrimage numbers as records is leading to unnecessary overcrowding, environmental degradation, and commercialisation of the sacred sites. The increased footfall is straining local infrastructure, degrading fragile ecosystems, and disrupting the sanctity of the holy places,” Dehradun-based environmentalist Anoop Nautiyal said.

“The Uttarakhand government’s decision to initiate the winter Char Dham yatra is a significant and positive move… [but] this decision comes with concerns that must be addressed with care and foresight. The primary concern is one of safety, security and public health given the terrain and harsh weather in the mountain areas of Uttarakhand,” he told The Indian Express.

Ravi Chopra, the former chairman of the Supreme Court appointed High Powered Committee on the Char Dham project, said that during winter, rare and threatened animals on the high mountain slopes and crests come down for food and water. “In the final report of the HPC to the SC, we had specifically made a mention that the traffic during winters can cause disturbance for wildlife like snow leopard and mountain sheep as these are shy animals,” Chopra said.

In July last year, the National Green Tribunal asked the state government to ascertain the carrying capacity of the Char Dham, and the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board tasked the Wildlife Institute of India with assessing it and submitting a report within a year.