3 weeks to go, Amarnath yatri numbers near last year's figure

NEW DELHI: Pilgrim numbers at the Amarnath shrine till Tuesday have reached close to the total number of pilgrims at Amarnath in the entire yatra period last year and are expected to cross that figure on Wednesday, proving that the terrorist attack on the pilgrims on July 10 did not break the spirit and enthusiasm of the annual pilgrimage in J&K.

While 2.2 lakh pilgrims had visited Amarnath last year, over 2.16 lakh pilgrims have already visited the holy cave by Tuesday with three weeks still to go for the yatra to end on August 7. Since the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims on July 10, nearly 70,000 pilgrims have visited the shrine in nine days.

“The pilgrim numbers will cross last year’s mark on Wednesday. It is an enthusing development as pilgrims did not drop their plans to visit Amarnath and have defeated the design of the terrorists to derail the pilgrimage. They reposed their faith in the security arrangements.

The pilgrim number this year during the 40-day long yatra will be close to the 2015 figure of 3.52 lakh pilgrims when it was a 59-day long yatra,” a government official told ET.

J&K deputy CM Nirmal Singh too visited the holy cave on Sunday with his family to reassure pilgrims.