Manimahesh Yatra begins; all arrangements in place, says admn

Chamba, August 26

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The pilgrimage to the glacier-fed Manimahesh Lake at 13,500 feet in the Bharmour area of Chamba district commenced on Monday amid great religious fervour, with thousands of devotees taking the holy dip and the valley echoing with chants of ‘Om Namah Shiva’.

The commencing of the pilgrimage coincides with Janmashtami, the festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. The pilgrimage will conclude on Radha Ashtami on September 11.

As per initial estimates, more than 50,000 devotees took holy dip during the first royal bath (Shahi Snan) today.

Every year, people trek to the oval shaped lake to catch a glimpse of Mount Manimahesh Kailash, believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva, and offer prayers. The uphill journey, starting from Hadsar at around 6,000 feet in Chamba district is considered as tough as the trek to the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir. “Tents and medical camps have been set up to facilitate the devotees, while about 100 sanitation workers have been deployed for waste management. Provisions of food and lodging have also been made by private individuals and organisations,” said the officiating Additional District Magistrate of Bharmour, Kulbir Singh Rana, who is overseeing the arrangements for the pilgrimage. Two private heli-taxi operators have been allowed to ferry people during the pilgrimage.

To meet any emergency situation, teams of the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and rescuers from the Atal Behari Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports have been stationed at critical locations en route the lake.

Local authorities have issued a toll-free number for any kind of emergency during the Yatra and pilgrims can contact the disaster management authorities at 1077, WhatsApp number 98166-98166, or the control room at 01895-225027. A 700-strong police force is deployed for maintaining law and order and traffic management. The yatra is not allowed after 4pm and devotees have been told to undergo health check-up before embarking on the pilgrimage. Use of polythene is banned. Meanwhile, devotees flocking to Bharmour in hordes has led to traffic congestion on the Chamba-Bharmour highway and on Bharmour to Hadsar stretch.

The surge in the number of pilgrims over the weekend has caused a traffic jams on the roads. The traffic situation has worsened since Friday, causing inconvenience to commuters.

The Manimahesh Kailash Yatra is one of the three major pilgrimages in Himachal, the other two being the Shrikhand Kailash and Kinner Kailash.

A rock formation in the shape of a Shivling on Kailash is considered to be the manifestation of Lord Shiva. The snowfield at the base of the mountain is called Shiva’s Chaugan by locals.

No one has so far been able to scale the peak despite the fact that much taller mountains have been conquered.