Dehradun: Close on the heels of the Chardham opening, the weather god might just about play spoil sport or so the Meteorological Department tells us.
With the doors of Yamnotri and Gangotri shrines thrown open on Akshay Tritiya, the Chardham Yatra officially began in the hill-state. Soon after Kedarnath opened today morning followed by Badrinath temple tomorrow .
Over fifteen thousand pilgrims, tourists and visitors excluding another thousand foreigners have already registered themselves for the Yatra to date. With the numbers on the increase, this is good news for the State government, who have spent a considerable amount of time, money and effort to ensure that all goes well this yatra season too.
According to the Director Met Department, Vikram Singh, “there will be light activity on the 11th and 12th of May. And from the 13th to 14th of May there will be moderate to severe rain, hail, thunder, strong winds, squalls which will affect the entire State affecting Garhwal region more.”
This activity might play spoil sport for a while, but sources within the State government sound confident about dealing with any problems this might pose. All preemptive measures are in place to ensure a smooth pilgrim season and that all thirteen District Magistrates have been informed and asked to keep a close watch on the situation.
For centuries now, The Chardham Yatra, has put Uttarakhand or ‘Devbhoomi‘ on world map of spirituality and religion. The pilgrimage carries a lot of significance not only for the one who ventures on a pilgrimage, but also for the hill-state. As Frank Smyth wrote years ago, “So they venture on their pilgrimage… some borne magnificently by coolie, some toiling along in rags, some almost crawling, preyed on by disease and distorted by dreadful deformities.” adding, “unknown dangers threaten the broad well-made path, at any moment the God, who hold the rocks in leash, may unloose their wrath upon the hapless passer-by. To the European it is a walk to Badrinath, to the Hindu pilgrim it is far, far more,” still stands true.
