RISHIKESH, Uttarakhand, India—Within 54 days of opening of Hemkunt Sahib gates this year, more than 170,000 pilgrims have already paid obeisance. Hemkunt Sahib is situated in the hills of Uttarakhand and due it its high elevation and extreme temperature, it is challenging for pilgrims to make it to their final destination. The gates of Hemkunt Sahib were opened on May 25 this year.
Apart from being uphill, the trek to Hemkunt Sahib gains a rapid altitude of about 1,300 meters or over 4,200 feet within a few hours and a sudden rise in altitude is considered challenging by most pilgrims. However, despite these conditions, visitors have been making their journey to the highest Gurdwara in the world in large numbers.
Update on latest conditions
Manager of Gurdwara Gobind Dham S. Sewa Singh informed that the Gurdwara Management was working hard to facilitate smooth pilgrimage to distant pilgrims. He added that the Vice-President of Hemkunt Sahib Management Trust S. Narinderjit Singh Bindra has been apprised about the damaged stretch of the pilgrimage track from the helipad up to the Gurdwara and he has assured to take up the matter with Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.
S. Sewa Singh further informed that the company which was allotted the ropeway project last year was yet to start work on it.
Situated at altitude of 15,197 feet, Sri Hemkunt Sahib is a Sikh shrine in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India. It is devoted to Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), the tenth Sikh master, and finds mention in Dasam Granth, a work dictated by Guru Sahib himself. With its setting of a glacial lake surrounded by seven mountain peaks, each adorned by a Nishan Sahib on its cliff.
