Char Dham Yatra 2024: Uttarakhand govt extends ban on VIP darshan till May 31, prohibits videography in temple premises

The Uttarakhand government has extended the ban on VIP darshan till May 31 to make sure that all devotees can easily visit the four Dhams during the ongoing Char Dham Yatra.

Chief Secretary, Radha Raturi issued another order prohibiting videography and the creation of social media reels within a 50-meter radius of the temple complexes in all four Dhams.

Shooting videos or making reels within a 50-metre radius of the temple premises has been prohibited, as per instructions of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Raturi informed. This decision was made while considering the religious sentiments of devotees. 

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Secretary Tourism, Commissioner Garhwal Division and DMs and SPs of the concerned districts received the order. “Chief Minister held a detailed review of the arrangements of Char Dham, in Dehradun today. He has given directions that nobody will shoot videos or make reels in the 50-metre radius of the temple premises.”  Radha Raturi told ANI. 

She added, “This is hurting the religious sentiments of devotees. So, to maintain the sanctity of the temple and respect the devotees, those going there won't be allowed to shoot videos or make reels in the 50-metre radius of the temple premises.” She clarified there is no ban on carrying mobile phones. 

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Commissioner Garhwal Division Vinay Shankar Pandey underscored that this time, double the number of devotees are taking up this pilgrimage tour compared to last year. He stated, "So far, 26.73 lakh devotees have registered for the Char Dham Yatra... More than 1.42 lakh offline registrations have been done in Haridwar and Rishikesh counters," reported ANI. 

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The Char Dham Yatra is a pilgrimage tour of the four holy sites: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. According to the official website of Uttarakhand Tourism, 'char' means four in Hindi, and 'dham' refers to religious destinations. This year, as many as 26 lakh devotees have registered for the ongoing Char Dham Yatra from across the country and abroad.

This pilgrimage tour, typically held from April-May to October-November, commenced on May 10.

(With inputs from ANI)