Religious Tourism In India Takes A Heavy Toll On Environment |
Religious tourism has not only blurred the line between pilgrimage and leisure travel, but it is also taking a heavy toll on the environment. A significant percentage of the tourist traffic that prompted the Supreme Court to recommend ‘tourism carrying capacity’ studies in Himachal Pradesh is directed towards religious sites. The question of whether religious tourism has a spiritual significance comparable to that of a traditional pilgrimage is for anthropologists to consider, but governments in Himalayan states must consider the social costs.
Take the case of Uttarakhand. Nainital (population 58,000) hosted over 1.32 million visitors last year. But neighbouring Kainchi Dham, Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram near tiny Bhowali (population 9,200), has seen a footfall of 2.24 million in the first six months of 2026 alone. To the northwest, in the Garhwal range, the Char Dham yatra has attracted over 60 million visitors this year—four times as many as the Vatican, five times the entire population of Uttarakhand, and seven times the number of visitors 10 years ago.
Environmental Damage At Religious Sites
At Kainchi Dham, the Baba’s devotees leave behind them a blanket of trash—Styrofoam plates and cups, foil wrappers and plastic bottles—and a once-pristine river sullied with sewage and shoals of garbage. At the Char Dham sites, government agencies have collected 800 tonnes of trash so far this year, including ‘religious litter’ like garlands, clothes, plastic wrappers for the prasad, e-waste and bio-hazardous waste. The temple-studded Kangra Valley and the global........