International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org Pilgrimage Tourism in Uttrakhand: Present Scenario, Prospects and Challenges Dr. Madan Lal Singla Associate Professor in Commerce Maharaja Agrasen College, Jagadhri ABSTRACT Uttrakhand is popularly known as Devbhumi due to the presence of numerous Hindu pilgrimage sites and religious form about 70% of the tourism in the state. Pilgrims in huge numbers visit this Himalayan state every year due to countless holy sites - temples, shrines, rivers and lakes. The tourism business in Uttarakhand generated 23,000 crores during 2013- 14 about 80% from pilgrimage tourism and tourism has contributed up to 30 percent to Uttarakhand‟s GDP in recent years. However in June 2013, devastating floods and landslides caused destruction in the state and all this has paralyzed the tourism industry which is expected to recover not before 3 years. The Char Dham is considered the most important Hindu pilgrimage includes the holy shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri and a visit to holy places like the Char Dham, Haridwar and Rishikesh of this state is considered a must for every Hindu. Visitors from all over the world come to Uttarakhand for pilgrimage. What makes the pilgrimage a lifetime experience for any pilgrim is the presence of numerous natural treasure in Uttarakhand such as best - deep cut valleys, snow capped Himalayan peaks, beautiful meadows, shimmering lakes, springs and waterfalls, hot water springs, virgin forests and gushing waters of holy rivers that surround the holy shrines and temples here. No soul comes back untouched from this mystic land where the faith runs strong. The infrastructure to cater to the tourists has grown but disproportionately slowly and mostly 'illegally'. Building infrastructure that suits the hills to match the growing numbers is a challenge that Uttarakhand is yet to give a serious thought to despite multiple master plans and tourism development reports by various agencies. Based on different studies of the earth scientists and also general perception among the common man it is said that increasing uncontrolled tourism in Uttrakhand has a very negative impact on the environment due to haphazard pattern of growth which create imbalances and is also become the main reason of heavy rain, clouds buster & floods resulting heavy loss as happened in June 2013. Thus, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the trend and prospects of tourism including pilgrimage tourism in Uttrakhand as well as its economic, social and environmental effects in the state. Keywords: Tourism, Pilgrimage, Economy, Environment, Char Dham, Adventure Tourism. Introduction Uttarakhand, the 27th state of India came into existence on 9th November, 2000. It is located at the foothills of the Himalayan mountain ranges, offers variety of experiences to the tourists. The state shares borders with China (Tibet) in the north and Nepal in the east and inter-state boundaries with Himachal Pradesh in the west and northwest and Uttar Pradesh in the south. The state is popularly known as Devbhumi (land of Gods) due to the presence of E-mail id:- [email protected] Page 1 International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org numerous Hindu pilgrimage sites. As a result, religious tourism forms a major portion (about 70 percent) of the tourism in the state. Pilgrims in huge numbers from far and wide visit this Himalayan state every year, seeking salvation and self-purgation and due to countless holy sites - temples, shrines, rivers and lakes. The tourism business in Uttarakhand generated 23,000 crores during 2013-14 about 80% from pilgrimage tourism, however due to 2013 North Indian Floods, it is expected to witness a 70% fall to 6,900 crores during 2014-15. In June 2013, devastating floods and landslides caused destruction in the state. "About 25-30% of Uttarakhand‟s GDP comes from tourism in recent years. Though only 20% of the state was affected by the calamity, but it suffered Rs 12,000-crore revenue loss. Hope, in 2015, Uttarakhand will definitely witness a complete turnaround and the state will regain its glory of being a tourist paradise. Uttarakhand, with its numerous sacred shrines, is the most preferred religious destination mainly for Hindus. What makes the trip to Uttarakhand significant is the Char Dham. The four major pilgrim destinations, namely, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri are the holiest of all the pilgrimage places in India. A visit to holy places like the Char Dham, Haridwar and Rishikesh is considered a must for every Hindu. According to ancient Hindu scriptures, a visit to the Char Dham leads one to salvation. This abode of Gods is dotted with ancient temples and shrines made thousands of years ago giving testimony to the rich religious heritage. It is not surprising to find a holy site or temple every few meters in this enchanting state. Visitors from all over the world come to Uttarakhand for pilgrimage. What makes the pilgrimage a lifetime experience for any pilgrim is the presence of numerous natural treasure in Uttarakhand such as best - deep cut valleys, virgin sylvan surrounds, snow capped Himalayan peaks, beautiful meadows, icy glaciers, shimmering lakes, springs and waterfalls, hot water springs, virgin forests and gushing waters of holy rivers that surround the holy shrines and temples here. No soul comes back untouched from this mystic land where the faith runs strong. Objective of the Study The objective of the present paper is to evaluate the trend and prospects of tourism including pilgrimage tourism in Uttrakhand as well as its economic, social and environmental effect in the state. Further, to know the initiatives taken by the Uttrakhand Government to boost tourism and to minimise its negative environmental effect and also to suggests the measures required for the balanced growth of healthy tourism in the state. Methodology Information regarding pilgrimage tourist alone can not be segregated accurately because many pilgrimage tourists also visit the other places in the state for leisure tourism. Thus, data of total tourist arrivals is collected mainly from the official website of Uttrakhand Tourism to know the trend of tourism since the State Uttrakhand came into existence in the year 2000 on the map of India. SWOT analysis has also been done to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities available to the Government and other investors in the state as well as the negative impact of increasing tourism in an uncontrolled way mainly on the environment to know the prospects of tourism in real sense in the state. Further, the researcher has studied the E-mail id:- [email protected] Page 2 International Journal of Research in IT, Management and Engineering ISSN 2249-1619, Impact Factor: 5.309, Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2015 Website: www.indusedu.org impact of the tourism on the state economy and the importance of holy places of Uttrakhand mainly for Hindu Pilgrims as well as major achievements/initiatives of the Government for tourism development, and major challenges before the Government to boost tourism in the state mainly after 2013 floods. Major Holy Places for Pilgrimage Tourism in Uttrakhand The Char Dham (four abodes): The Char Dham is considered the most important Hindu pilgrimage includes the holy shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri: Badrinath known as holy seats of Lord Vishnu, considered to be the holiest, is located between the mountains of Nar and Narayan with River Alaknanda flowing peacefully beside it. It is known as Badrinath since the entire region is covered with Badri trees. Kedarnath shrine known for holy seat of Lord Shiva, situated at a high altitude of 3580 meters above the sea level is another revered pilgrim destination which was set up by Hindu Guru Adi Shankaracharya in early 8th century. It is one of the twelve 'Jyotirlingas' of Lord Shiva. While there is a motorable road to Badrinath, Kedarnath could only be reached by foot. The 14 km trek begins from Gaurikund. After the 2013 Himalayan floods, the trek currently is of more than 18 km due to washing away of trekking paths. Gangotri which is believed to be the earthly throne of Goddess Ganga is a revered pilgrim destination near which the holy river Ganga originates at Gaumukh. Yamunotri, the starting point of the holy river Yamuna, is the westernmost shrine in the Garhwal range of the Himalayas. The actual origin of the river is the Yamunotri glacier further up into the Himalayas where very few pilgrims go due to the difficulty it entails. The main attraction for the pilgrims to this sacred place is the temple dedicated to Goddess Yamuna. The Char Dham Yatra begins around the first to second week of May every year. Panch Kedar Panch Kedar refers to five Hindu temples dedicated to god Shiva. They are located in the Garhwal Himalayan region in Uttarakhand. These five temples designated in the strict pecking order to be followed for pilgrimage for worship are the Kedarnath at an altitude of 3,583 m (11,755 ft), the Tungnath (3,680 m or 12,070 ft), Rudranath (2,286 m or 7,500 ft), Madhyamaheshwar or Madmaheshwar (3,490 m or 11,450 ft) and Kalpeshwar (2,200 m or 7,200 ft). The Kedarnath is the main temple, which is part of the four famous Chota Char Dhams After completing the pilgrimage of Lord Shiva's darshan at the Panch Kedar temples, it is an unwritten religious rite to visit Lord Vishnu at the Badrinath Temple, as a final affirmatory proof by the devotee that he has sought blessings of Lord Shiva.