Srinagar: With just nine days left for the conclusion of the 38-day-long Amarnath Yatra, the number of pilgrims who have paid obeisance at holy cave shrine, nestled in Himalayas, crossed the four lakh mark on Thursday— despite the shadow cast by the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
Officials told KNO that a total of 8,276 pilgrims paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine on Thursday, including 6,296 males, 1,082 females, 58 children, 55 sadhus, 3 sadhvis, 2 transgender individuals, and 780 security personnel.
They said the cumulative number of pilgrims who have completed the Yatra since its commencement on July 3 has reached 401,677.
Despite witnessing several cancellations and withdrawals following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives, the Yatra has continued. In June, authorities said that this year’s pilgrimage numbers were “directly affected” by the attack.
Prior to the incident, more than 2.36 lakh pilgrims had registered, as per Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. “Before April 22, the registration figures were quite good. However, following the Pahalgam terror attack, there was a noticeable drop in registrations. The trend is now reversing, and we are actively reaching out to those who had registered earlier. The overall number is expected to go up,” Sinha had said.
Last year, more than 5.1 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine. With heightened security concerns this year, a multi-tier security arrangement was put in place, and the presence of security personnel was increased for the Yatra. Besides that, the government declared all routes to the Amarnath cave shrine a “no-flying zone,” banning all kinds of aviation platforms, including drones and balloons, for the duration of the Yatra.
The Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3, will conclude on August 9, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan. (KNO)
