Uttarakhand: Hemkund Sahib portals to close on October 11

The portals of Hemkund Sahib, the revered shrine of the Sikh community, located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand near Joshimath will close on October 11 this year, the trustees of the gurudwara Trust said.

“The trustees, after consultation with the administration, decided to close the portals of Hemkund Sahib for the year 2023 on Wednesday 11th October at 1 pm,” NS Bindra, chairman of the Hemkunt Sahib Gurudwara Trust, said.

The Yatra to Hemkunt Sahib began on May 20 despite heavy snowfall on the opening day and inclement weather. More than 227,000 pilgrims have visited the shrine so far this year, he said.

Helicopter services have also resumed from Govindghat to Ghangaria to facilitate the last batch of visiting pilgrims, Bindra said.

The Trust looks after the Yatra and has boarding and lodging facilities in all its gurudwaras and Dharamshalas starting from Haridwar.

Last year, 247,000 pilgrims visited the shrine, the highest in the recorded history of the Yatra, according to Hemkund management trust.

Over 10,000 pilgrims visited the shrine in 2021, compared to around 8500 in 2020. In 2019, 240,000 pilgrims visited the shrine.

Pilgrims trek from Pulna, 3km away from Govind Ghat, to Hemkund Sahib. After the 6-km steep climb, they stay overnight at Ghangria and then continue for Hemkund Sahib on foot.

The shrine, situated at a height of over 15,000ft above sea level, is a popular centre of Sikh pilgrimage and lakhs of devotees from across the world visit the place every summer. Hemkund is inaccessible because of snow from October to April.

According to their official website, the place was discovered by Sant Sohan Singh and Bhai Modam Singh in the 20th century. Bhai Vir Singh, a Sikh savant and a leading figure of the Singh Sabha movement, played an important role in helping these two by verifying the location of the place, and later by providing financial support to build the gurudwara.