Annual pilgrimage to the Holy Cave concludes, 4 lakh pilgrims pay obeisance

Srinagar, August 5 (Vijay Kumar) – The annual pilgrimage to the Holy Cave of Amarnath concluded on Wednesday amid chanting of religious hymns in the spiritual ambience of South Kashmir Himalayas.

This bright sunny morning of Shrvana Purnima, which coincides with the Rakhsha Bhandan, witnessed serene religious fervour with the arrival of the Holy Mace of Lord Shiva at the 3,880 metre-high Holy Cave after a night halt at Panjtarni, the third and final halting station en route to the Shrine. Mahant Deependra Giri, accompanied by a large number of Sadhus, carried the Mace, popularly known as "Charri Mubarak", and offered Puja.

Governor, N N Vohra, who is Chairman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), joined the special puja at the Cave Shrine and prayed for peace and brotherhood in the State.

The Governor expressed satisfaction over the smooth conduct of this year’s Yatra. He complimented all the agencies, organisations and State Government departments, and particularly the people of the State, for making the Yatra a satisfying and memorable experience for thousands of pilgrims, thronging from various parts of the country, during the past over 50 days. He had a special praise for the close synergy between the Security Forces, the Civil and Police Administration, all the stake holders, the local population and the Shrine Board in ensuring a hassle free Yatra.

  B B Vyas, Principal Secretary to Governor and Chief Executive Officer of the SASB, who accompanied the Governor, referred to the measures taken for the upkeep of camping sites and said that adequate steps were taken to provide improved facilities for the comfortable journey and stay of the pilgrims. He said that  focused attention had been paid on the preservation of environment and ecology in the Himalayan region. While the cleansing operations of the Camps had been carried out simultaneously, he added that the Board has made special arrangements for launching a  post-Yatra cleanliness and sanitation campaign.

The CEO dwelt on the Yatra-2009 and said that about four lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the Holy Cave, spreading over 51 days from the Baltal route and 41 days from the traditional Pahalgam route. The Yatra, earlier announced to commence simultaneously from both the routes from 7th June, 2009, had to be rescheduled due to inclement weather and accumulated snow on the tracks. The traditional route remained precarious for prolonged durations due to heavy snow between Pissu Top and Poshpathri and intermittent snow, from time to time, even in July.

 The CEO said that 44 pilgrims – 35 male and 9 females – had lost their lives, due to natural causes, during the Yatra, which included two porters who died due to a landslide near Railpathri on the Baltal-Holy Cave route on 17th June 2009, while one lady pilgrim was killed when hit by the blades of a crashing helicopter near the Holy Cave on 9th July. He said the SASB had paid an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each to next of the kin of the deceased labourers hailing from Rajouri and Ganderbal districts. The case for compensation to the kin of the lady pilgrim is being pursued by the Helicopter operators with the insurance company.

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