Uttarakhand: Pilgrimage to Hemkunt Sahib halts due to heavy snowfall in Chamoli

Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], October 9 (ANI): The pilgrimage to the Hemkunt Sahib in Uttarakhand's Chamoli has stopped just a day before the closing of its doors due to heavy snowfall here.
As the Chamoli district has received fresh snowfall today, Superintendent of Police (SP) Shweta Choubey informed that the region has received snow coverage of more than 2 ft.
"More than two feet of snowfall has covered the area so far, due to which the pilgrimage at Govindghat and Ghangariya has stopped," said SP Shweta Choubey said.
Shri Hemkunt Sahib Trust Vice President Narendra Jeet Bindra on September 7 had informed that the portals of Gurudwara will be closed at 1 pm on October 10.
Situated at an altitude of 15,225 feet, the Gurudwara has been thronged with over 2 lakh devotees, ever since its doors were opened on May 22.
Hemkund Sahib is considered to be the fifth Dham of Uttarakhand.
Hemkunt Sahib (also known as Hemkund Sahib) is visited by thousands of devotees from all over the globe every summer. The Gurudwara is situated beside a lake and it is believed that the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh had meditated at the site.
Meanwhile, Darma Valley, which is the last outpost near the China border in Uttarakhand also received snowfall of the season on Tuesday.
As there has been more than one foot of snow here, the cold increased in 14 villages of Darma valley and seven villages of Vyas valley in the high Himalayan region.
It had received about 1 foot of snow in the low-lying area and more than four feet of snowfall in the mountains at an altitude of 17,500 feet. In extreme circumstances, security force personnel remain engaged in protecting the border from the last checkpoints.
More than one foot of snowfall was also received in Dhaka and Bidang Chowki located at an altitude of more than 10,000 feet of Darma Valley.
In both the valleys (Darma and Vyas), people have started harvesting palti, paffar and other crops and they will come to the lower valley from the first week of November.
There was snowfall in the Jyolicang, Nabhidhang, Om Parvat, Adi Kailash and the famous Panchachuli peak of the Beas Valley on October 2 as it rained in the lower valley. (ANI)