Yatra to Kedarnath has been halted for the day due to incessant overnight rains lashing Rudraprayag district on June 25, 2015.
Incessant overnight rains at many places in Uttarakhand today affected the Chardham Yatra with pilgrimage to the Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath being interrupted.
Yatra to Kedarnath has been halted for the day due to incessant overnight rains lashing Rudraprayag district and a Meteorological Department warning predicting heavy rains and moderate landslides at isolated places in the high altitude districts during the next 48 hours, Rudraprayag District Magistrate Raghav Langer told PTI over phone.
Though roads to the temple, including the trek route are alright, devotees are not being allowed to go beyond Sonprayag because of inclement weather, he said, adding rains are continuing.
However, such temporary suspensions are a routine thing en route to the Himalayan shrine as weather in the area keeps changing quickly, he said.
The yatra may be resumed tomorrow if the weather permits, he said.
A landslide beyond Joshimath has also led to temporary interruption of the yatra to Badrinath.
A landslide has occurred about 10 km ahead of the shrine and devotees are not being allowed to proceed beyond Joshimath, Chamoli Superintendent of Police (SP) Sunil Kumar Meena said.
State Disaster Response Force and police personnel are busy clearing the road and the moment it is restored the yatra will be resumed, he said.
Yatris bound for the Sikh shrine of Hemkund Sahib are also not being allowed to go beyond Govindghat for the time being due to bad weather, the SP said.
However, Uttarkashi received moderate rains and yatra to Gangotri and Yamunotri is going on uninterrupted, Uttarkashi Disaster Management office said.
Widespread rains which began in the wee hours are still continuing across Uttarakhand, Meteorological office Director Anand Sharma said.
Places where rains occurred include Munsyari (46 mm), Mukteshwar(39mm), Gairsain (30mm), Uttarkashi (14mm) and Tyuni(9mm).
The Meteorological department had issued a warning yesterday saying heavy rains could occur at isolated places especially in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Pauri, Tehri, Nainital, Almora and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand during the next 48 hours starting from early morning today.