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| Amarnath yatra concludes | | |
CAVE SHRINE | AUG 28
The annual Amarnath yatra in Kashmir wrapped up with special pujas held amid chanting of Vedic hymens in the spiritual ambience of Himalayan cave shrine this morning.
In the wee hours today, the Shravana Puranmashi and Raksha Bandhan, hundreds of devotees trekked the cave shrine situated at the height of 13000 feet above sea level in the Northern State of Jammu and Kashmir.
The two-month yatra came to an end with Charri Mubarak, the holy mace of Lord Shiva, led by Mahant of Dashnami Akhara, Shri Deeendra Giri reaching the cave shrine this morning and offering the Puja along with a contingment of Sadhus.
Chief Executive Officer, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, Dr Arun Kumar was among the first devotees who offered prayers in the cave shrine and prayed for universal brotherhood and peace and tranquility in Jammu and Kashmir. He performed the Puja in absence of the Governor and Chairman of the Board, Lt. Gen (Retd) S K Sinha, who is currently in Venenzula on a private trip.
After the prayers, Dr Kumar said the Board had made elaborate arrangements in conjunction with various state government departments for smooth conduct of the yatra. Based on the feed back from yatris from time to time, he said, the Board will endeavour to make further improvements in the infrastructure for comfortable stay during the yatra. He complimented all those connected with the yatra besides the people and the Security Forces for the smooth yatra.
Nearly three lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine, said director of the board Madan Mantoo while giving the details of pilgrims visiting Shri Amarnathji from southern and northern routes of the pilgrimage. He said that 2,96,869 pilgrims performed the pilgrimage of whom 1,19, 757 trekked via the traditional route of Pahalgam, 1,53,712 from the forward base camp of Baltal and 23,330 by helicopters from Srinagar and Baltal this year. The number of pilgrims is slightly higher than the last year mark of 2,90,990 which included 1,31.932 from Pahalgam, 1,47, 808 from Baltal and 11,250 by helicopters from Srinagar and Baltal, Mr Mantoo added.
Mantoo said that 42 pilgrims died due to natural causes during the performance of the yatra this year against 46 in 2006. This year, he said, yatra started on July 1, a day later than the schedule date due to bad weather and incessant rains. Two air companies operated helicopter service from Baltal and Srinagar. As per the past practice Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board organised a three-day Sufi Music Festival in Srinagar in collaboration with Indian Council for Cultural Relations, J&K Academy of Art Culture and Langugaes and Department of Tourism.
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