Very special: Foreign devotees on Amarnath Yatra experience

Nine young foreign nationals from six countries have undertaken the annual Amarnath Yatra in the south Kashmir Himalayas, setting a beautiful example of global faith and spiritual harmony. These devotees, including from the United States, Canada and Germany, have undertaken the yatra via the Baltal route.

They described the pilgrimage as a very special experience and were all praise for the hospitality they received in the Valley. “I am experiencing some beautiful geology and nature in Kashmir, and the immense energy of the holy cave,” Ross Norman Leech, a Canadian, said after visiting the cave shrine at a height of 3,880 metres that houses a naturally-formed ice Shivlingam.

Leech said the group was making preparations for the yatra for the last four-five years, adding that the experience has been beautiful. “I had tears coming out of my eyes at the cave. The whole world is connected in these energies. Meeting Mahadev here, in deep silence, meeting consciousness is very very special,” he said.

Describing the pilgrimage as a very special experience, Leech said he cannot recommend it more to people. “The trek is challenging, you must be ready for the trek, but it is very much worth it. If you get a chance, if you feel the call to come here, come. It is a powerful place,” he said.

Leech said the hospitality of the people of Kashmir and the arrangements for the yatra have been amazing. “I am very happy to be here,” he said. Another foreign pilgrim who also undertook the yatra said the experience has been wonderful. “We look forward to coming back at some point soon. It was wonderful and we felt very taken care of and supported and very safe,” he said.

The annual yatra commenced on July 3 this year and about 3.5 lakh pilgrims have so far paid obeisance at the cave shrine. It will culminate on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan on August 9.