No Kedarnath-Badrinath pilgrimage for three years

Pilgrimage to the shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath in Uttarakhand cannot resume for three years due to extensive damage caused by heavy rains and floods, an official said Thursday.

Officials of the two shrines say the two places have been so badly devastated that there was nothing "but mud, devastation and death" around the highly revered temples visited by millions.

BD Singh, chief executive Officer of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, said that the chances of reviving the pilgrimage "for the next few years" was grim.

"What we are seeing is very painful and unbelievable," he said. "We don't expect the Char Dham Yatra to resume in the next three years."