Char Dham Yatra can be chaotic, challenging: Here’s what to know before taking the spiritual trip

“We travelled between June 1 and June 11, and managed to visit Rishikesh, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandaprayag, Valley of Flowers, Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, Harsil and Gangotri,” the 24-year-old shared with this outlet.

Shashank Raj Joshi (extreme right) with his family in Gangotri. (Photo: Shashank Raj Joshi)

Joshi added that while standing in long queues was not easy, they made sure they stayed hydrated, carried a first-aid box with primary medicines, used face masks and maintained social-distancing amid the pandemic. “It is our responsibility to also preserve such historical and religious places when we travel there,” he added. “As tourists, we must follow all traffic rules, maintain the cleanliness of the place and respect nature, too.”

It was, however, reported in May this year that tourists thronging the state left behind a mountain of waste and garbage for locals to clean, with viral social media videos corroborating it. It resulted in environmental hazards, including air and water pollution (especially of the sacred lakes and rivers that flow here). But, that is not the only roadblock here.

The state of Uttarakhand is hailed as ‘Dev Bhoomi’ or the ‘Land of Gods’, and there are many great pilgrimage sites here that include sacred temples that attract millions of pilgrims — predominantly Hindus — from across the world.

The Char Dham circuit comprises four sites — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath — and according to the Hindu scriptures, all of these locations are highly sacred. It is, therefore, the ultimate desire of every practising Hindu to visit these shrines at least once in their life to attain ‘moksha‘ or salvation. It is also said one should complete the Yatra in a clockwise direction; meaning, they must start from Yamunotri, then go to Gangotri, followed by Kedarnath, and finally Badrinath.

It is this belief that draws tourists annually — a practice that was near-halted for almost two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which restricted people’s movements and called for social distancing as one of the primary measures to prevent the spread of the viral infection.

This year, when the Yatra resumed, there was an influx of so many tourists that it led to a literal congestion. Videos showed people stranded on mountainous roads leading up to their destination.

The Char Dham circuit comprises four sites — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. (Express Archive photo)

Additionally, according to the data released by the Uttarakhand emergency operation centre, as many as 203 people have died this year since the start of the Yatra on May 3. Of them, while 97 pilgrims died on the Kedarnath route, 51 succumbed in Badrinath, 13 in Gangotri and 42 in Yamunotri; the cause of death is said to be cardiac arrest and other health issues.

For pilgrims seeking solace, the journey has, therefore, not been an easy one. But, is Dev Bhoomi witnessing an unprecedented spike in tourist footfall? And if so, is it prepared to deal with this chaos?

“For the last few years, people could not travel. They were simply confined to their chairs owing to the work-from-home routine. There was this pent-up desire to travel somewhere, and international trips were out of bounds. So, while they could not think of places to visit, they wanted to pack their bags and take off somewhere. This probably is the reason why Uttarakhand has been witnessing such alarming footfalls,” said Shaishav of ‘Chalo Musafir’, a tour agency.

He added that he was in Nainital recently and learned that the government had started to return tourists who visited the place without a confirmed hotel booking, so as to control the crowd.

When it comes to the Char Dham Yatra, the uttarakhandtourism.gov.in mentions that it is “mandatory” to register yourself before you make the journey, because it will give you “access to attractions and services like pooja booking, heli service, information about darshan timings, and much more”.

The government has made the process compulsory since 2014, and it is only after the completion of registration can devotees be issued with a QR code. “Registration helps in better monitoring and control of pilgrim inflow, making the journey safer for everyone. You can get assistance with availing medical assistance, SOS, police helpline, etc., once you are logged in to the application,” the site mentions.

Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock)

Gurchaman Singh, the manager of ‘Chardham Travel’ — a travel agency in Haridwar that specialises in Char Dham Yatra Package — told this outlet that the lockdowns in the initial period of the pandemic may have caused this tourist buildup in the state, owing to a “logjam of more than two years”.

“People booked in advance and joined a fresh batch of tourists (when the lockdown restrictions eased) leading to an increase in footfall. Having said that, the Yatra has always enjoyed popularity,” he said.

Singh also explained that many tourists are not aware of the registration process put in place by the government, which may have led to confusion. “Many people were made to return to Haridwar or Rishikesh, because they weren’t registered and had begun to crowd the Yatra route,” he explained.

Singh added that while medical provisions are put in place by the government at the base camps, the Char Dham Yatra is difficult in general. “In Kedarnath, for instance, the body’s oxygen level can fluctuate, given its height. For an aged person, therefore, it can lead to a heart attack.”

What to know from the standpoint of health before embarking on the Char Dham Yatra?

Needless to say, Char Dham is not an easy journey. While spiritually gratifying, it can be testing and time consuming. Doctors say that it is imperative that you know your body and understand its signs.

According to Dr Bharat Agarwal, consultant, internal medicine, Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai, standing for a long time can cause fatigue, exhaustion, syncope (fainting) episodes, and swelling of legs. “Besides this, diabetic patients can have low sugars if they fast for long periods,” he warned.

The doctor added that medical facilities to take care of basic trauma, respiratory problems and cardiac emergencies should be made available, especially where there is a “large congregation of people”.

Concurring with him, Dr Ajay Kaul, chairman, cardiac sciences at Fortis Hospital, Noida said that before undertaking Yatra — which involves many days of travelling and long queues — people must consider doing the following:

1. Medical checkup before the Yatra is undertaken.
2. Proper care during the Yatra, like taking medicines on time, getting proper rest, and having a gap in between two stressful exercises.
3. Government should make arrangements for the elderly and those who have health issues, in the form of separate queues.
4. Medical facilities at intervals along the Yatra.
5. Restricting number of pilgrims to reduce overcrowding.

Dr Kaul added that any exercise the body is not familiar with or used to, should be undertaken after a lot of planning, especially for patients who have underlying health issues. “If you are a heart patient or have risk factors for heart problems, you should understand the do and don’ts before opting for strenuous exercises,” he said, adding that factors that lead high incidence of heart problems include extreme conditions like exposure to cold, dehydration, lack of oxygen due to high altitude, no proper food intake, lack of sleep, tiredness and not taking regular medicines.

It must also be noted that the pandemic continues, and Covid-appropriate behaviour should still be followed, which includes “wearing a face mask, mandatory social distancing, following proper hand hygiene”, said Dr Piyush Goel, consultant, pulmonology, Manipal Hospitals, Gurugram. “Symptomatic patients should not hide their symptoms and avoid going to congested places.”

The doctor warned that the high altitude can “aggravate health problems due to stress, exertion, low oxygen, low temperatures”, leading to “high chances of getting infections of lungs, urinary tract infections, which can be an added stress to the body”.

“Medical facilities should be made more robust to face critical situations like acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, respiratory distress, pneumonia. I will lay emphasis on a detailed work up, medically, of these patients before they start the Char Dham Yatra so that these tragedies are avoided,” he concluded.

While Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri will close for tourists in October, Badrinath will remain open till November 2022.

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