Char Dham Yatra 2025 Begins on Akshaya Tritiya with Grand Openings at Gangotri & Yamunotri

Haridwar (The Uttam Hindu): On the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, the Char Dham Yatra 2025 has officially begun. Today, the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham were opened for devotees. The palanquin (doli) of Goddess Ganga has reached Gangotri, where the temple doors were opened at 10:57 AM. Similarly, the portals of Yamunotri Dham were opened at 11:55 AM. Traditional rituals and worship ceremonies were conducted at both shrines, and a flower shower by helicopter took place at Gangotri.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami personally visited Gangotri Dham and participated in the prayers. Around 1,000 devotees were present at Gangotri on the first day, while over 10,000 devotees were expected at Yamunotri.

The portals of the other two shrines in the Char Dham circuit—Kedarnath will open on May 2, and Badrinath on May 4. Last year, despite heavy rains and landslides that disrupted the Kedarnath Yatra for 15 days, a total of 4.81 million devotees visited the shrine. So far this year, 2 million devotees have already registered for the Yatra, and the government expects this number to cross 6 million.