13,767 pay obeisance at Amarnath shrine

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 10

As many as 13,767 yatris paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine on day 13 of the ongoing annual pilgrimage in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in South Kashmir on Tuesday.

With this, the total number of pilgrims who paid obeisance at the cave shrine has gone up to 1,17,785, while the movement of yatris from the base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal has increased with an improvement in weather conditions.

The continued bad weather conditions during the first week had led to a decrease in the number of pilgrims to the cave shrine.

Sri Sri's statement takes shrine officials by surprise 

The statement of the Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar reportedly issued from his Bengaluru office that Amarnath pilgrims should postpone their pilgrimage to next year in view of the “disruption of the yatra from both the tracks (Baltal and Pahalgam)” has surprised the shrine board officials as more than 1.17 lakh pilgrims have had “ darshan” at the shrine in the first 13 days since the commencement of the pilgrimage on June 28. The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board CEO said there was no reason to postpone the yatra.