4.14 lakh pilgrims visited Amarnath shrine this year, yatra suspended a week earlier

More than 6,000 pilgrims paid obeisance to Lord Shiva at the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas on the final day of this year’s annual Amarnath Yatra, taking the total number of yatris to 4.14 lakh, officials said.

The last year saw more than 5.10 lakh pilgrims pay their respects at the shrine.

A total of 6,497 pilgrims had darshan at the 3,800-metre-high holy cave shrine on Saturday, the officials said.

The yatris included 4,586 males, 1,299 females, 62 children, 51 sadhus, five sadhvis and 494 security forces personnel. So far, 4,14,311 yatris have visited the cave shrine since the yatra started on July 3, the officials added.

The yatra was scheduled to conclude on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. However, the authorities on Saturday suspended the yatra, just a week before its scheduled conclusion, citing “critical repair and maintenance works” to be undertaken in the wake of the heavy rainfall.