Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Aug 7: The 40-day-long annual Amarnath pilgrimage concluded today when “Chhari Mubarak”, the holy Silver Mace of Lord Shiva carried by Sadhus led by Mahant Deependra Giri reached the cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas during the wee hours on the occasion of “Shravan Purnima” coinciding with Rakshabandhan.
The holy mace which left the last halting station Panchtarni enroute to cave shrine during late last night reached the holy cave in thee wee hours today. As the Chhari Mubarak reached the Cave shrine ‘Bum Bum Bholey and Har Har Mahadev’ rent the air. The entire atmosphere was reverberated with the Vedic hymns and Shalokas recited by the Sadhus and devotees amidst the ringing of quench shells.
On the last day of the darshan, 453 pilgrims drawn from different parts of country paid obeisance to naturally formed Ice Lingam in the holy cave today taking the total number of pilgrims visiting Shri Amarnath Ji during this year’s yatra to 2,60,003.
According to an official spokesman, the last batch of 57 pilgrims left from Baltal Base Camp via shortest 14 km Domel track to holy cave early this morning. In addition to this, the yatris having night haltage at Panchtarni also left early in the morning to reach the cave shrine today for darshan.
However, there was no yatri from Pahalgam and Chandanwari as the last batch of 30 pilgrims which left Jammu yesterday had taken Baltal track, the spokesman added.
He said 2.60 lakh pilgrimage, had paid obeisance during the pilgrimage, which commenced from June 29 from both shortest Baltal and traditional Pahalgam tracks to holy cave situated at an altitude of 3880 meters.
Over 40 devotees have lost their lives in terror attack, accidents and health problems this year.
The spokesman said amid chanting of Vedic hymns Deependra Giri took the Chhari Mubarak inside the cave shrine early this morning where special puja was held after covering 2 km distance from Panchtarni to holy cave on foot. The Chhari had reached Panchtarni for a night halt from Sheshnag early yesterday.
He said the traditional rituals were performed & prayers offered the whole day at holy cave.
Mahant Ji said that special prayers for peace and tranquillity for the State and prosperity of the country were held by the devotees in the holy cave.
After performing all the rituals in a traditional way in the holy cave the Chhari-Mubarak returned for night halt at Panchtarni before dusk. From there, the Charri will leave for night halt at Pahalgam at 0700 hrs tomorrow, he added.
He said on August 9 ‘Dvitiya Pujan’ & ‘Visarjan’ ceremonies will be performed at 0915 hrs on the bank of river Lidder at Pahalgam. Thereafter, traditional ‘Kari-Pakouri’ Bhandara will be organized for Sadhus. With this last ritual, annual pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath Ji will culminate. Chhari-Mubarak will return to its Abode Ameshwar temple, Dashnami Akhara at Srinagar on August 9.
This year’s figure of pilgrims visiting the shrine is the second lowest in the past 14 years. Last year, only 2.20 lakh pilgrims had visited the cave shrine due to the summer unrest.
While stringent security arrangement had been put in place for the yatra, Lashkar-e-Toiba militants still targeted a bus full of pilgrims on July 10 at Batengo (Khanabal) Anantnag.
Eight pilgrims were killed while 21 others were injured in the attack.
Forty other pilgrims died, including 16 in a road accident on Jammu-Srinagar Highway on July 16, during this edition of the pilgrimage with cardiac arrest being the major cause of deaths.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Hindus — mostly labourers from other States of the country — today made a beeline for the Shankaracharya Temple atop the Zabarwan hills here to take part in prayers to mark the culmination of the yatra.
The devotees, residing in various parts of the city, started their journey to the temple by foot before day break.
A handout issued by Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) said that Umang Narula, Chief Executive Officer, and Jitendra Kumar Singh, Additional CEO, SASB, Shrine Board prayed at the holy cave for sustained peace, harmony, progress and prosperity in the State.
Today evening, on the formal closure of the Yatra, Governor N.N. Vohra, Chairman of the Board, chaired a review meeting with CEO and other concerned officers. CEO informed that 2,60,003 lakh Yatris had paid obeisance at the Holy Cave Shrine during this year’s 40 days pilgrimage, which had commenced on June 29 along both the Baltal and the Pahalgam routes.
Barring the terrorist attack on 10th July, on a bus carrying Shri Amarnathji pilgrims near Khanabal, in Anantnag district, and the unfortunate road accident which took place on July 16 in Nachilana area of Banihal in Ramban district, Governor observed that, fortunately, the Yatra had passed off well.
The Governor expressed sadness over the death of 29 persons in this year’s pilgrimage, within the Yatra area. Those who lost their lives were pilgrims, service providers and others, of whom three died due to accidents and 26 due to medical failures. Governor conveyed his heartfelt sympathy to the families of 8 pilgrims who lost their lives in a terrorist attack on a bus carrying pilgrims and to the next of kin of 17 Yatris who were killed in a road accident in Ramban district. He stressed the need for identifying fresh and further measures which could perhaps prevent the loss of precious lives in the future Yatras.
As decided in the meeting held by Governor last week, CEO inspected sanitation and cleanliness at Holy Cave, Panjtarni and Baltal Camps today and apprised the Governor about the ongoing Sanitation Drive in all the Camps and on the Yatra tracks under the supervision of the Camp Directors, and representatives of the various State Government Departments deployed in the Yatra Camps.
Governor directed CEO to ensure that no Camp Director leaves the Camp unless all cleaning work has been fully completed, at all locations, as per the approved Sanitation Action Plan for Yatra 2017.
Meanwhile devotees paid obeisance at Pracheen Amarnath cave at Thajiwara in Bijebehara tehsil of Anantnag district while hundreds of pilgrims visited ancient Shiv Temple at Omauh Verinag in Kashmir valley on the occasion of Shrawan Purnima where a Maha Yagya was also solemnized by Vitasta Devsthan Prabandhak Committee.
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