Mussoorie, May 17 -- Cumulative pilgrim footfall across Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri for Char Dham Yatra crossed 14,07,400 by Friday evening, officials said. The earlier start to the pilgrimage season on April 19 contributed to the rapid increase, and arrivals are expected to climb further when the Hemkunt Sahib Yatra opens on May 23. Prajapati Nautiyal, officer on special duty (OSD) for the Char Dham Yatra Administration Organisation, said the first 12 days-from April 19 to April 30-saw 4,97,526 devotees at the four shrines. "In the subsequent 15 days of May, the influx accelerated significantly, with another 9,09,874 pilgrims reaching the four shrines," Nautiyal said. The highest single-day footfall of the season was recorded on May 13, when 80,405 pilgrims visited the circuit. Numbers remained high thereafter, with 71,956 pilgrims on Thursday and 74,966 by Friday evening. Kedarnath continued to be the biggest draw this season. Officials said 26,846 pilgrims reached Kedarnath between May 14 and May 15, taking cumulative footfall at the shrine to 5,76,933. Badrinath recorded strong arrivals as well, with 21,762 devotees on Friday, bringing cumulative numbers to 3,65,595. Yamunotri saw 12,127 pilgrims on Friday and a cumulative total of 2,32,617 since portals opened. Gangotri recorded 14,231 devotees on Friday, taking its cumulative figure to 2,32,255. Comparative data released by the administration showed Kedarnath accounted for 40.99% of overall Char Dham footfall this season; Badrinath accounted for 25.98%; Yamunotri and Gangotri represented 16.53% and 16.50% respectively. Officials said registrations for the Char Dham and Hemkunt Sahib Yatra, via online and offline systems, reached 35,19,985 by Friday evening, signalling sustained demand in the coming weeks. The season has also highlighted shifting pilgrimage trends, with Kedarnath attracting a disproportionate share of visitors. Anoop Nautiyal, founder of Dehradun-based Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, said a comparative analysis of the first 25 days showed that despite high absolute numbers overall arrivals were slightly lower than the same period last year. "Comparing the first 25 days of the yatra, there is a difference of 95,763 pilgrims compared to last year. Since the yatra commenced earlier this year, the initial momentum was slower than the record-breaking start of 2025. However, the daily flow has stabilised with recent figures showing an average footfall of over 50,000 pilgrims per day," Nautiyal said. Officials said crowd management systems, police deployment, surveillance measures and emergency response teams remain active across the Char Dham routes as the pilgrimage enters its peak phase....