MORIGAON – What was meant to be a journey of faith and celebration turned into a profound tragedy for a family in Assam’s Morigaon district. A young woman, Papori Deka, lost her life to altitude sickness while on a pilgrimage to the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand on May 4.
The incident has cast a pall of gloom over her native village of Dolongghat, as the community mourns a life cut short just months before her wedding.
Papori had embarked on the trek to the Himalayan shrine alongside a group of friends. According to family sources, she began feeling unwell while navigating the steep, high-altitude terrain leading to the temple.
Despite being agonizingly close to her destination reportedly just 500 meters away from the Kedarnath shrine—Papori collapsed on the trekking route. Efforts to revive her were unsuccessful, and she succumbed to the effects of high altitude.
The tragedy is deepened by the timing of the loss. Papori was scheduled to get married in December this year.
Her mortal remains reached her home in Dolongghat on Thursday morning. In a moving tribute to their bond, her fiancé, Jyoti Prasad Datta, performed her last rites according to local customs, surrounded by grieving relatives, neighbors, and well-wishers.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the physical toll the Kedarnath trek can take. Located at approximately 3,583 meters (11,755 feet) above sea level, the oxygen levels are significantly lower than in the plains of Assam.
Safety Note: Medical experts advise pilgrims to undergo physical fitness checks and allow for proper acclimatization when traveling to high-altitude shrines. Symptoms like extreme breathlessness, dizziness, and persistent headaches should never be ignored.
The local community continues to gather at the Deka residence to pay their final respects, standing in solidarity with a family devastated by a pilgrimage that ended in heartbreak.
Leave a comment