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| Annual AmarnathYatra concludes, 23 % rise in pilgrims | | Over 4.50 lakh pilgrims pay obeisance | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 24: The annual Amarnath pilgrimage to the 3,880 metres-high shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas concluded today on Shravan Purnima, also celebrated widely as Raksha Bandan .Over 4.56 lakh devotees paid obeisance at the cave shrine of Lord Shiva during the past two months , registering 23 % jump in the number of pilgrims over the previous year. Even as the situation in Valley remained turbulent, Yatra passed off peacefully ,without any major untoward incidents.
In the backdrop of serene mountainous terrains, amid chanting of religious hymns and bhajans, zeal and fervour of devotees filled the spiritual ambience as the Holy mace of Lord Shiva arrived at the 300-cubic metre cave on the Shravan Purnima day as part of the traditional 'Charri Mubarak' ritual.Holy Mace was led Mahant Depender Giri.
Over 4.56 lakh pilgrims, an increase of over 23 per cent than last year, visited the shrine despite ongoing spree of violence in the Valley. A record 5.33 lakh pilgrims had visited the shrine in 2008.
There were 87 deaths among the pilgrims of which 17 died due to accidents and 60 resulting from cardiac arrest. Last year, 62 pilgrims had died because of natural reasons.
With the end of the yatra, around 48 companies of CRPF on Amarnath Yatra security duty deployed for this period, will return to their camps to help in maintaining law and order in the Valley, which has been witnessing violence since June 11 following the death of a teenager.
Governor N N Vohra, also the Chairman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, was scheduled to visit the Holy Cave this morning but could not do so due to heavy rains and inclement weather conditions, official sources said.
The Governor has however expressed satisfaction over the smooth conduct of this year's Yatra. He complimented the state government, army, CRPF, BSF, BSNL and other concerned organisations, for making the Yatra "a satisfying and memorable experience for thousands of pilgrims" from across the country over the past 55 days.
The route of the pilgrimage, which started on July 1, passed through some of the areas worst affected by violence like parts of Srinagar, Sangam and Bijbedhra on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.
Governor Vohra monitored the Yatra on a daily basis and personally reviewed arrangements for the pilgrimage by visiting the camps along the route.
He issued strict instructions for launching a time-bound post-Yatra cleanliness drive at the camps and the holy cave area.
R K Goyal, CEO of the Shrine Board, said this year all the registered pilgrims were provided free of cost Accident Insurance Cover of Rs one lakh.
He said helicopter services were made available on both Baltal-Panjtarni and Pahalgam-Panjtarni routes on substantially lower rates as compared to last year.
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