Dehradun The Char Dham Yatra was halted on Tuesday due to snowfall and rain en route to Kedarnath and Yamunotri temples in the Garhwal Himalayas.
Kedarnathi Snowfall started in the early hours of Tuesday, while rain lashed the low-lying areas, forcing the authorities to stop the pilgrims at Gaurikund and Sonprayag for their safety.
Pilgrims going to Yamunotri were also stopped at Jankichatti, the last stop on the way to the famous temple, as the weather turned bad in the afternoon.
The peaks around Badrinath also received snow.
Barkot Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Shalini Negi said Yamunotri-bound Pilgrims were stopped at Jankichatti as a precaution. He said that they will be allowed to proceed on further journey once the weather clears.
Pilgrims who stopped on their way to the shrine on Monday due to bad weather were allowed to visit the temple on Tuesday morning, he said, adding that they had already returned after offering prayers there.
Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mayur Dixit also said that pilgrims going to Kedarnath were stopped sonprayag And the weather is bad as Gaurikund and it is not safe for the pilgrims to go beyond these points at the moment.
They will be allowed to visit the temple once the weather improves, he said.
An unprecedented number of pilgrims are visiting Himalayan temples this year, as the Covid-induced restrictions are no longer in force.
Over nine lakh pilgrims have already visited Himalayan temples in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand since the pilgrimage began on May 3.