4L pilgrims have so far visited Amarnath cave shrine so far: J&K LG
Sinha expressed gratitude to all the stakeholders involved in the arrangement of the yatra after it crossed the figure of 4 lakh darshans on Thursday.
Sinha in post on X said: 'Baba Amarnath makes the impossible, possible. With his blessings, the Holy Yatra today crossed the figure of 4 lakh. I bow to Lord Shiva for this miracle and express my gratitude to everyone involved in making the holy pilgrimage a divine experience for devotees.'
Sinha also thanked devotees who came from various parts of the country and termed it as a testament of India's unity.
'The record number of darshans and arrival of devotees from across the country and the globe is a testament to India's unity and its resolve to overcome the challenges. I am truly thankful to the devotees, who have shown immense faith and strengthened our priceless spiritual heritage.'
Sinha said that this godly expedition is incomparable not because it is arduous and challenging but because it is an inimitable journey into pure bliss. 'It's a spiritual experience and gives an opportunity to devotees to know themselves and offers deep trust and fills their hearts with infinite gratitude'.
Meanwhile the yatra, which resumed from the Baltal axis in Kashmir on Thursday, remained suspended from Jammu due to inclement weather conditions and no fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to proceed from Jammu to the cave shrine on Thursday, officials said.
Last year, around 5,12,000 pilgrims had performed the yatra, the highest in over a decade.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees from across the country visit the cave shrine of Amarnath situated at a height of 3,880 metre in the Himalayas passing through treacherous mountain routes, glaciers and ice fed streams. Pahalgam is one of the two main base camps of the Amarnath yatra.
The police, army and the CAPF chalked out a robust arrangement for the annual pilgrimage this year with aerial domination, three-tier security in base camps and deployments have been ensured. All security agencies, be it J&K police or CAPF companies, are more in number. Mock drills have been regularly conducted. The pilgrims travel in security convoys from Jammu.
The highest-ever number of pilgrims to visit the shrine was in 2011 and 2012 at 6.35 lakh and 6.22 lakh, respectively.
In two decades, the lowest number of pilgrims to visit the shrine, besides the Covid years, was in 2003 at 1.7 lakh. In 2016, just 2.2 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the shrine after violence gripped the Kashmir valley following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in South Kashmir's Kokernag on July 8, a week after the commencement of the pilgrimage.
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