10 Benefits of Char Dham Biometric Registration Tool

01) At the biometric registration counter the picture of Yatris is captured and the information like Name, address, phone number, registration of vehicle number (If any) and place of pilgrimage are saved in the system which generates a bar code.

02)         Every pilgrim is given a card on which a bar code is pasted.

03)         No fees are charged by the company providing this service. The company uses the space available at the back of registration card for commercial advertisement.

04)         Real-time tracking of the pilgrims at various locations in the command area.

05)         Link concept possible to locate lost pilgrims.

06)         Reliable database in case of any untoward incidents.

07)         Possible to provide Group Accident insurance.

08)         Effective crowd control.

09)         Minimise crowding of pilgrims in any particular area.

10) Authenticate count of pilgrims visiting the pilgrimage towns.

 

 

          Hindus all over the world aim to complete atleast one Cha Dham darshan in their life time.

Char means ‘four’, Dham means ‘abode’. Hence Char Dham can be translated to “Four Abodes”.

The Chardham circuit includes visiting to four glorious shrines of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and lastly the Badrinath Dham. Traditionally, the yatra is done from the west to the east - starting from Yamunotri, then proceeding to Gangotri and finally to Kedarnath and Badrinath

All these 4 abodes, are located in the astonishing Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand at distinct districts.

Adi Shankaracharya, the great reformer and philosopher is credited with taking the first steps towards the Char Dham Yatra in the 8^th century.

Over the years, the popularity of the yatra has soared. As these places are situated in snow areas, the temples are opened only during a specified period, normally during summer.

This glorified expedition starts from Haridwar, the perfect gateway to God and can be reached to Uttarkashi for Gangotri and Yamunotri shrine and be completed at Chamoli by visiting the Badrinath Temple.

A very brief description of the four temples is below;

Gangotri Temple: - The holy river Ganga is known to be originated from Gangotri itself, through the prayer made by king Bhagirath.

Yamunotri Temple:-Located at Uttarkashi at an elevation of 3164 meters from the sea level, Yamunotri Dham temple sanctifies thousands of moods and spirits bringing the origin of River Yamuna.  It is the only place where the devotees can find both the amalgamation of hot and cold environment.

Kedarnath Temple:-Kedarnath Temple in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand state is elevated at an altitude of 3584 m above the sea level flanking around the river Mandakini. It is considered as the most pious abode of Lord Shiva and is believed that one of the 12 forms of Lord Shiva in the shape of “Jyotirlingas” was dropped at the hills of Mandar where the main temple is located. 

Badrinath Temple:-A perfect example of devotion for humanity and mankind, the Badrinath Temple is elevated at an altitude of 3415 meters in the Garhwal Hills on the bank of Alaknanada River.

In 2013 Uttarakhand was devastated by the flash floods which resulted in huge  catastrophe both in terms of human life and infrastructure loss.

During the last two years, Uttarkhand Government has taken numerous steps to enhance the safety levels of both the pilgrims and the associated pilgrim infrastructure.

One of the most important safety tools is the Biometric registration of the Pilgrims.

Biometric registration counters are already in place at entry points to the state and on yatra routes.  Additionally five base camps, 48 wayside amenities, seven ghats and 12 night shelters for the 2015 Chardham yatra have been set up.

 

Since 2014, Uttarakhand state authorities have plans to limit the number of visitors at any given point of time. Hence, government has made arrangements for mandatory biometric registration of the all the visitors. This will enable tracking of visitors with a GPS-based monitoring system so that tourist flow can be checked for a particular Dham/Temple.

Q: Who will man the Biometric registration booths?

Ans: The booths will be manned by staff of  Trilok Security System India Private Limited (TSSIPL).

TSSIPL operates such services of a) TTD DEVASTHANAMS b) SHRI MATA VAISHNO DEVI SHRINE BOARD  c) UTTARAKHAND TOURISM d)AJMER SHARIF DARGAH  e) BABA BAIDYANATH DHAM

 The State Government decided to have the biometric registration of the Yatris after the disaster of last year when the hundreds of pilgrims were reported missing in absence of any registration mechanism.