What happens to Char Dham yatra after Joshimath's sinking?

Over 800 buildings have developed cracks and the town of Joshimath rapidly sinking, 5.4 cm in 12 days, as reported by ISRO the report. The report has been abruptly deleted by the organization. The question of transportation and connectivity arises since Joshimath is the town that connects places like Badrinath and Valley of Flowers. That is to say, it is the gateway to these places.

Read more: Joshimath sinking: Isro report on how town sank goes missing from govt website - India Today

Ancient prophecy

Locals predict that in the future, Joshimath will no longer be able to provide access to the Badrinath shrine. According to an old prophecy made by Adi Shankaracharya, the Narasimha deity arm in Joshimath will get thinner every year. The Himalayas will fall and the current Badrinath will be lost when the arm of the Narasimha god in Joshimath breaks. At Bhavishya Badri, a new Badrinath will be situated.

Read more: The Ancient Prophecy of Shankaracharya About Joshimath and the Self Manifesting Deity at Bhavishya Badri

It is reasonable to assume that Badrinath, the Valley of Flowers, and other locations like these will remain inaccessible for a considerable amount of time. Although, scientists and geologists have not offered their thoughts on the matter.

65-70% of the people in Joshimath are living normal life. Char Dham Yatra will begin in the next 4 months. Central govt keeps taking updates from the state government on the real-time situation in Joshimath: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami pic.twitter.com/KkZ2JMJafA

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 19, 2023

Char Dham Project

Also, concerns over the Char Dham Yatra have been raised by pilgrims. The yatra is set to start in four months and the base point of Badrinath is Joshimath.

Read more: Char Dham: Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri And Yamunotri | Uttarakhand Tourism

The Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on this matter stated that ‘65-70% people in Joshimath are leading a normal life and the Char Dham Yatra will start after four months.’ 

Authorities are constructing a bypass to Badrinath as part of the all-weather Char Dham road project. It begins in Helmand, around 9 kilometers before Joshimath, and ends at Marwadi Road. The by-pass construction has been halted due to unrest and protests in Joshimath. Hence, it is possible that the project will not be finished in time for the yatra to begin.

This project is carried out by the Ministry of Roads Transport & Highways and aims to improve connectivity between the set of four pilgrim sites- Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath. Activists have been blaming Char Dham Project and the Tapovan power plant for contributing to land subsidence in Joshimath.

Read More

• Joshimath: Why rehabilitation in Pipalkoti village is not a good idea?
• The geographical history of Joshimath and all the disasters in or near the area
• Joshimath crisis: Number of buildings with cracks rises to 849
• Uttarakhand: Panic among locals after cracks appear in Chamoli village

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