The annual pilgrimage to Hemkund Sahib will begin on September 4, late by three months due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, it will be mandatory for devotees to carry a Covid-19 negative certificate with them issued not more than 72 hours earlier for being allowed to visit the famous Sikh temple in Garhwal Himalayas.
The decision to start the yatra on September 4 was taken by the district administration in consultation with the Gurudwara Prabandhan Samiti, Chamoli District Magistrate Swati S Bhadouriya said. "A negative RT-PCR test taken 72 hours before applying for the yatra and an e-pass issued by the Uttarakhand government will be compulsory," she said.
The portals of Hemkund Sahib, where the 10th Sikh Guru Govind Singh is said to have meditated, open every year in the last week of May. But the pandemic delayed the opening of the Sikh shrine this year.
Vice president of Hemkund Management Trust N S Bindra said the doors of the temple will be thrown open for devotees at 10 am on September 4 but they will have to comply with Covid-19 guidelines like physical distancing.
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