There is a flood of faith in Chardham-Vaishno Devi, why are devotees arriving in record numbers?

There is a rapid increase day by day in the number of devotees visiting religious places in India. Be it the Chardham Yatra of Kedarnath, Badrinath or Vaishvo Devi. Devotees are arriving everywhere in large numbers. According to recent data, this time more than 40 lakh devotees visited Chardham. At the same time, the number of people visiting Vaishvodevi also crossed 50 lakhs. Let us know in this news what number of devotees have reached other religious places of the country in recent times and most importantly, what is the reason that this data is increasing day by day?

It is clear from these figures that in 2026, the crowd at religious places is no longer limited to festivals only, but seems to be spread throughout the year with holidays, weekends, weather, and reliable infrastructure. There was a daily movement of lakhs to centers like Kashi, Ayodhya and Mahakal, while the yatra to Vaishno Devi and Chardham once again proved the strength of the Pahari faith-tradition. Mathura and Braj set the biggest example of converting religious tourism into an economic activity, as more than 10 crore devotees reached there in 2025 alone.

40 lakh devotees arrived in 67 days

The Chardham Yatra is going on from 19th April till 25th June 2026, it has been 67 days. In just these 67 days the devotees have broken the record. According to data from the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), till June 25, a total of 4,003,158 pilgrims visited the Char Dham temples and their associated pilgrimage sites. Officials said that on Wednesday alone, 37,617 pilgrims reached the four Dhams safely. Maximum 17,332 devotees arrived in Badrinath Dham in a day, followed by 8,618 devotees in Kedarnath Dham. 3,674 pilgrims visited Gangotri Dham, while despite occasional interruptions due to weather in the hill districts, 3,098 devotees visited Yamunotri Dham. Apart from this, if we talk about Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra, there is a huge crowd of people seeking darshan there too.

By June 22, Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra crossed the figure of 50.70 lakh. The crowds at these two pilgrimage sites show that in 2026 the scope of faith is broader and more active than ever before. Kashi, Ayodhya and Mathura gave new heights to this rise on the religious map of North India. Such queues of devotees were seen in front of Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi during the New Year and holidays that more than 30.75 lakh people had visited between 24 December 2025 and 1 January 2026. At the same time, more than 7.25 crore devotees reached Kashi in 2025, which makes this city one of the largest religious centers in the country. In Ayodhya too, a crowd of lakhs gathered on the morning of New Year to see Ramlala, and on January 1, 2026, about 8 lakh people reached Ramnagari, out of which more than 3 lakh visited the Ram temple.

Devotees gathered from Mathura to Siddhivinayak

Mathura-Vrindavan and Braj region further strengthened this religious surge. The claim that 10.2 crore devotees will reach there in 2025 is an indication that Braj has become not just a pilgrimage but a major center of religious economy. More than 1.5 lakh devotees reached the Banke Bihari temple in the initial days of the new year itself, which made it clear that faith has become a year-round trend here too.

Mahakaleshwar Temple of Ujjain in Central India also remained an important center of the Bhakti wave of 2026. Between December 25 and January 1, 19.55 lakh devotees reached the court of Mahakal, and on the first day of the new year itself, around 6 lakh people had darshan. The expected arrival of 10 lakh devotees on occasions like Mahashivratri shows that Ujjain has now become one of the largest national centers of Shiva devotion. Shirdi in the west and Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai also attracted huge crowds. More than 8 lakh devotees had darshan of Sai Baba in Shirdi from 25 December 2025 to 2 January 2026. 3 to 4 lakh devotees were estimated to visit Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple on January 1, which shows the continuity of religious enthusiasm even in the metros.

Many devotees also came to Jagannath Temple and Khatu Shyam

In terms of number of devotees, Shri Jagannath Temple of Puri also did not lag behind. On January 1, 2026, more than 5 lakh devotees reached Puri, and the doors of the temple were opened early in the morning to control the crowd. On the other hand, 30 to 35 lakh devotees were estimated during the Phalgun fair in Khatu Shyam Temple of Rajasthan, whereas lakhs of devotees had reached in the initial days itself.

Why is the number of devotees increasing rapidly?

The main and the first and foremost reason behind why devotees are going to religious places in such large numbers is their devotion towards their idol. But apart from this, there are many other aspects which are motivating the devotees to come to these places in greater numbers. No doubt, convenience and service are prominent among them. Let us tell you about 5 such major reasons, which are playing an important role in bringing devotees to these places in large numbers.

1. Better infrastructure- Whenever a devotee visits these religious places, there is always a question of convenience in his mind apart from devotion. Governments have worked on this in recent times. Infrastructure at major religious places has improved. Work has been done on accommodation. The roads have been widened. New corridors have been built. Ropeway and government transport facilities have also improved to a great extent.
2. Digital system- The second reason is the digital system. Due to this, devotees can register online sitting at home. Get e-pass and slot booking done. This gives them an idea of ​​the crowd. However, the thing to be understood here is that not all temples have online booking right now, there are some big temples and yatras where booking has to be done. For example you can take the journey of Vaishno Devi.
3. Security and Administration- Security has always been a big issue at religious places. Since there is a possibility of theft and stampede due to large crowd. But keeping all these challenges in mind, Prashanan remains alert at all the big temples and religious places. There are additional police forces. There is CCTV surveillance and one-way entry-exit arrangements are also made, so that the possibility of any kind of accident can be dealt with.
4. Expansion of religious tourism and impact of holidays- Religious tourism has increased rapidly in the country. The number of hotels, dharamshalas and homestays has increased around temples and pilgrimage sites, creating new employment and business opportunities for the local people. Along with this, the trend of going on pilgrimage with family during weekends and long holidays has also increased, due to which religious places remain crowded throughout the year.
5. Development of new religious centers- In the last few years, big projects like Ayodhya Ram Temple, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor and Mahakal Lok have attracted devotees. Through these projects, not only the temple complexes have been expanded, but the facilities and accessibility for the pilgrims have also improved, due to which the number of people visiting religious places is continuously increasing.

Also read- Expensive business at religious places, small 2BHK worth Rs 70 lakh in Varanasi, skyrocketing flat rates from Ayodhya to Puri.