6 lakh devotees undertake 13-day Manimahesh yatra
Nearly 6 lakh devotees took part in the 13-day annual pilgrimage to Manimahesh Lake located at an altitude of 13,500 feet in Bharmour subdivision of Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district.
Over one lakh pilgrims took the holy dip in the Manimahesh Lake during the “Bada Shahi Snan” (big royal bath), starting Tuesday night, after the priests performed ritual of crossing the lake till Wednesday morning,” said Kulbir Singh Rana, acting Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Bharmour.
During the first two days of the yatra, more than one lakh devotees undertook the yatra to take holy dip during the “Chhota Snan”, said the ADM. Rana, also the member secretary of Shri Manimahesh Yatra Trust under whose supervision the pilgrimage took place, said that eight casualties were reported during the yatra. Three people died in a road accident, two in accidental fall or by shooting stones and rest due to ailments.
However, no death was reported from high-altitude region, including Gauri Kund, and Manimahesh Lake. The administration had deployed a 700-strong police force for maintaining law and order and traffic management during the yatra besides several teams of rescuers in critical areas.
This year, the yatra saw a huge influx of devotees during the starting days resulting in long traffic jams on the Chamba-Bharmour highway and a huge crowed en route the lake. Bad weather also led to yatra being suspended several times.
The Manimahesh Kailash Yatra is one of the three major pilgrimages in Himachal, the other two being the Shrikhand Kailash and Kinner Kailash pilgrimages.
The pilgrimage begins on Janmashtami, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, and concludes on Radha Ashtami.
Each year, devotees undertake a challenging 14-kilometre trek to the oval-shaped lake, seeking a sacred view of Mount Kailash, revered as the dwelling place of Lord Shiva, to offer their prayers. The ascent, starting at approximately 6,000 feet from Hadsar in Chamba district, is regarded as demanding as the renowned trek to the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir. A rock formation in the shape of a Shivling on Kailash is considered the manifestation of Lord Shiva.
