Rainfall, boulders, thin crowds at shrine: Devotees share heartwarming stories of Badrinath yatra
India Today
Meet devotees from five states of India who dared the rains, landslides, boulders rolling down the mountains to reach the Badrinath shrine.
Landslides, rainfall and devotees braving all odds to complete the Char Dham yatra is a common sight in the Land of Gods this time of the year.
Even after multiple warnings by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) during the monsoon season, devotees embark on this adventurous journey to reach the shrines in the state. Why the Monsoon? Because this is the time Hindus observe 'Saawan', the perfect time to worship Lord Shiva.
The pilgrimage of the four dhams located in Uttarakhand are considered the most sacred places in India - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. It is believed that every Hindu should visit the Char Dhams during one's lifetime to attain Moksha (salvation).
India Today spoke to several devotees who have returned from the Char Dham yatra.
Satyaprakash Modanwal, a resident of UP's Sultanpur, embarked on the yatra with a group of 21 devotees, which included four children.
"First we went to Kedarnath and then Badrinath. But, on the way to Badrinath, we saw innumerable landslides. This scared the children so much that they wanted us to return home," Modanwal said.
"At Chopta, a heavy boulder fell on a woman. She must have succumbed to it," Modanwal claimed.
