The 44 day long Shri Amarnath Yatra concluded on Friday as more than three lakh devotees performed darshan at the cave shrine located in South Kashmir.

 

Earlier today, performed 'Samapan Pooja' which marks the end of annual Shri Amarnathji Yatra. Prayed for peace,progress & prosperity of people.I truly admire & appreciate selfless contribution of all stakeholders &citizens for making this difficult Yatra hassle-free for pilgrims. Office of Lieutenant Governor J&K tweeted.

 

 

 

Mahant Deependra Giri, custodian of the holy Mace "Charri Mubarak" paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine in the early hours today by performing the pooja amidst the holy chants of lord Shiva.

 

Pertains to mention here that this year, the yatra was held after a gap of three years. The pilgrimage was cut short in 2019 in the wake of the Centre’s decision to end J&K’s special constitutional position. The pilgrimage could not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

The annual 44-day yatra commenced on June 30 from the twin base camps — traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag and 14-km shorter Baltal in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. As per officials, 398,611 pilgrims from across the country had registered for the annual pilgrimage, but only 304,439 pilgrims performed darshan.

 

 

Barring the cloudburst incident, the Yatra remained peaceful. 15 pilgrims died in the cloudburst which triggered flash floods near the cave on July 8. Besides, 38 pilgrims including two porters and a security personnel lost their lives due to health issues during the Yatra. Meanwhile, 25,454 pilgrims were admitted to hospitals for treatment of various ailments.