A group of trekkers on Monday embarked on a journey to trace the ancient routes used by sages and pilgrims criss-crossing the Himalayan mountain ranges to perform the Char Dham yatra.
The initiative, backed by the Uttarakhand government, is aimed at promoting adventure tourism during the winter months in the hill state.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami flagged off a 25-member team of trekkers from 'Trek the Himalayas' who embarked on a 50-day expedition to do a recce of the traditional route of the Char Dham yatra.
The expedition would see the trekkers traverse over 1,200 kms of mountain trails from Rishikesh to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath to trace the traditional routes of the yatra.These ancient routes have been long forgotten as roads were developed connecting the four shrines nestled in the high Himalayas, making the once tough pilgrimages a lot easier.Before the development of road networks, pilgrims used to trek from Rishikesh to Devprayag to Tehri and move onward to Yamunotri and Gangotri.
After worshipping at the two shrines the pilgrims trekked via Boodha Kedar to Kedarnath and then visited Badrinath traversing the mountains in Ukhimath, Chopta and Gopeshwar.Once the mountain trail is mapped, the Uttarakhand government plans to promote the route for adventure tourism by identifying homestays enroute and highlighting local culture and traditions, Uttarakhand Tourism Additional Director Poonam Chand told DH.
The Char Dham Yatra began this year on September 18 after Covid-19 pandemic began receding in the hill-state. More than 2.70 lakh pilgrims visited the four shrines, which are set to close for winters after the Diwali festival next month.The revival of the ancient Char Dham route is said to be inspired by the Inca trail in Peru that takes tourists to Machu Picchu in the Andes mountains.
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