Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, May 6 : Around 10,000 devotees visited Jivetsal on Thursday as the fifth day of the Buddha relics veneration brought in people from Leh Phudo, Gangles to Skara, alongside government employees and personnel from the Army, paramilitary forces and the Ladakh Police.
From the early morning hours, queues stretched across the approach to the site, moving steadily as visitors waited their turn for a brief moment before the relics.
Organisers noted that the day saw one of the more diverse gatherings so far, with uniformed personnel and civilians arriving in equal measure under the ongoing village-wise schedule.
Prayer ceremonies were led by monks from Chemday Monastery as part of the 15-day programme organised under the Ladakh Gonpa Association, with 16 monasteries taking turns to conduct the rituals each day.
On the ground, volunteers of the Ladakh Buddhist Association Youth Wing managed crowd movement, assisted elderly visitors and coordinated basic arrangements, ensuring that the large turnout was handled without disruption.
The Ladakh Buddhist Association said the phased schedule is aimed at enabling access across regions while maintaining order at the venue.
The veneration will continue tomorrow, with residents of New Settlement scheduled to visit.
The sacred relics will remain at Jivetsal until May 11, following which they will be taken to Zanskar as part of the continuing exposition.
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