Farooz Ahmad Lone
Srinagar, July 17 (KNB): The annual Amarnath Yatra (pilgrimage) that commenced on July 1 this year has broken four-year record as 2,05,083 pilgrims have paid obeisance to the Himalayan Cave Shrine in the past 16 days, confirmed officials.
“This is the highest number of pilgrims to visit the Cave shrine during the first forthright in the last four years,” India today quoted an Amarnath Yatra official.
However, So far 16 pilgrims have died during the Yatra due to natural causes, according to the officials of the SASB
The Amarnath pilgrimage has been boosting up the economy of the state from the economic activity generated by it. It has also been benefiting the people of the state in general and the locals in particular.
“The flow in tourism that we have witnessed this year till now has been very smooth. After Pulwama attack, we thought there would be a substantial decline in the number of pilgrims but Contrary to the expectations, the number of the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims swelled due to various factors, pleasant-weather being one of them.” said Naseem, a tourist driver.
He added, “It obviously, helps our income to grow and we hope that the trend (increase in the pilgrims and he tourists) would continue in the years to come”.
Pertain to mention, The Amarnath shrine, an ice stalagmite structure said to have the mythical powers of Lord Shiva, is a Hindu shrine located at an altitude of 3,888 m (about 141 kms) in Jammu and Kashmir where lakhs of pilgrims across the Indian subcontinent pay obeisance each year.(KNB)
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