Record Crowd of Devotees Swarms Kedarnath Dham; Long Queues Form for Darshan
Over the past four days, more than 100,000 devotees have arrived at Kedarnath Dham to seek the blessings of Baba Kedar.
On Wednesday alone, over 32,000 pilgrims offered prayers. Meanwhile, for the past week, approximately 25,000 devotees have been arriving at the Dham daily.
Due to the massive influx of devotees, long queues are visible stretching from the temple complex all the way to the helipad.
Pilgrims are having to wait for their turn to offer prayers; however, the administration and police are continuously making efforts to streamline the arrangements.
Given the heavy crowding, devotees are currently being allowed to view the *Swayambhu* (self-manifested) Shivling from the *Sabha Mandap* (assembly hall) itself, in order to effectively manage the *Darshan* process.
The pressure of the crowd is also steadily increasing along the pilgrimage route. At Sonprayag, long queues of passengers are forming for the shuttle service, and devotees are facing significant wait times to avail themselves of this facility.
The police and administration are organizing passengers into orderly queues to prevent any potential chaos or disorder. The administration has stated that additional police personnel and staff have been deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.
Continuous surveillance is being maintained along the pilgrimage route, at parking lots, and at key transit points. Devotees are also being issued necessary guidelines and instructions at regular intervals.
Superintendent of Police Niharika Tomar noted that a large number of devotees are arriving to seek the blessings of Baba Kedar.
The police are managing the pilgrimage arrangements with full vigilance and are making continuous efforts to ensure that devotees have an organized and safe *Darshan* experience. She appealed to the pilgrims to adhere to the guidelines issued by the administration and to maintain patience.
