Nine pilgrims to undertake Gangbal yatra

Tribune News Service

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Srinagar, August 25

The annual yatra to the Gangbal lake started today from Naranag in Ganderbal district. However, only nine persons will undertake the three-day-long pilgrimage in the wake of Covid-19.

“Yatra to Gangbal, which Kashmiri Pandits consider the abode of Lord Shiva, has started. Only nine pilgrims are undertaking the yatra due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The pilgrims set out for the yatra after puja at Naranag. Members will trek to Gangabal lake, which is located around 14,500 feet above the sea level in the Harmukh mountain range. The lake is also known as Harmakut Ganga — ‘The Kailash of Kashmir’. The pilgrims will also perform ceremonial Chhari Pooja, and members will also do ‘pind daan’ and ‘shraad’ at the lake on August 26 on the occasion of Ganga Ashtami,” said All Parties Migrants’ Coordination Committee (APMCC) chairman Vinod Pandit.

The yatra has been organised by the Harmukh Ganga (Gangbal) Trust (HGGT) and the APMCC.

Stating that the pilgrimage had been revived after 200 years from 2009, Pandit said the main aim behind making the yatra an annual affair was to preserve the cultural and religious history of Kashmiri Pandits.