Kashmir |The annual Amarnath pilgrimage concluded today in south Kashmir Himalayas with over 2.85 lakh pilgrims paying obeisance.
“Bhupinder Kumar, Additional Chief Executive Officer of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board along with Shri Piyush Singla, Deputy Commissioner, Ganderbal, visited the Cave Shrine early this morning and prayed for sustained peace, harmony, progress and prosperity in the State,” said a Raj Bhavan spokesman.
He said that 2,85,006 lakh Yatris had paid obeisance at the Holy Cave Shrine during this year’s pilgrimage, which had commenced on 28th June along both the Baltal and the Pahalgam routes.
The security was heightened for this year’s yatra in view of the militant attack on a bus carrying pilgrims last year that left eight of them dead and 18 others injured.
Around 40,000 security personnel from the Jammu and Kashmir police, paramilitary forces, National Disaster Response Force and the Army were deployed for this year’s pilgrimage, the officials said.
They said the yatra this year was peaceful.
The holy mace of Lord Shiva, popularly known as ‘Chhari Mubarak’, carried by a group of sadhus and devotees led by its custodian Mahant Deepindra Giri, arrived at the holy cave in the wee hours for the day-long prayers, the officials said.
The group of sadhus and devotees trekked 42 kilometres from Pahalgam to reach the cave shrine with night halts at Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarani.
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