Dandi Kandis Take Charge Of Kedarnath Yatra Route As Horse-Mule Travel Stopped Due To Virus Outbreak
For pilgrims' convenience, the District Panchayat and the District Administration are providing the facility of 800 to 1000 dandi and kandi every day.
Published : May 9, 2025 at 8:10 PM IST
Rudraprayag: Due to the increase in suspected equine influenza virus infection among horses and mules in the Kedarnath Dham Yatra, their operation remained suspended for the last two to three days. Given the convenience of the pilgrims reaching the Dham, especially the elderly and disabled devotees, the District Panchayat and the District Administration are providing the facility of 800 to 1000 dandi and kandi every day.
The Additional Chief Officer of the District Panchayat said that due to the increasing infection in horses and mules, their operation has been stopped for the time being on the Kedarnath foot journey route. Following this, the administration is facilitating the registration of dandi-kandi every day so that the elderly and disabled pilgrims do not face difficulties.
In Kedarnath, the work of delivering essential food items, including other essential items from Gaurikund, is being done through 1000 dandi and kandi workers. At present, the District Panchayat is playing an important role in the management of the pilgrimage through dandi-kandi operators in 20 different places.
In the last seven days, a record 169,942 devotees have reached Kedarnath Dham for the darshan through the token system. Devotees are visiting the area around Kedarnath Dham, Bhimshila, Shankaracharya Samadhi Sthal, and Bhairav Baba.
Animal Husbandry Secretary BVR Purushottam said that just like the coronavirus infection spreads in humans, equine influenza disease occurs in horses in the same way.
Horses suffering from equine influenza have a runny nose, high fever and cough. The matter of relief is that there is no danger of this disease spreading from horses to humans, but the virus can easily spread from one horse to another. However, the chances of death of the horse from this disease are very low.
Madmaheshwar's doors to open on May 21.
The Chief In-charge Officer of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee said that the doors of the Lord Madmaheshwar temple will be opened for devotees on May 21. Before this, the Utsav Doli of Lord Madmaheshwar temple will come out of the temple sanctum sanctorum of Omkareshwar temple, Ukhimath, on May 18 and will stay in the Sabhamandap located in Omkareshwar temple.
On May 19, the Utsav Doli will depart from Ukhimath in the morning and reach the Shri Rakeshwari Devi temple located in Ransi for the night. The next morning, it will depart from Rakeshwari temple and reach Gaundar for the night rest.
On May 21, the Utsav Doli of Madmaheshwar will depart from the village of Gaundar in the morning. In Karna (Cancer) Lagna, the doors of the Lord Madmaheshwar temple will be opened for the devotees to visit during this Yatra period.
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