SRINAGAR: The 40-day annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas ended on Monday, with 2.60 lakh pilgrims offering prayers this year despite a terror attack on a bus that left eight devotees dead.
The pilgrimage concludes on the festival of Raksha Bandhan each year.
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.
The holy mace of Lord Shiva, Chhari Mubarak, carried by a group of ‘sadhus’ and devotees led by its custodian Mahant Deepindra Giri, arrived at the holy cave in the early hours for day-long prayers, officials of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) said.
The group of sadhus and devotees trekked 42 km from Pahalgam to reach the shrine with night halts at Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarani.
After traditional rituals at the sanctum sanctorum, the holy mace would start the return journey before dusk later today.
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