Manimahesh pilgrimage concludes

The 11-day annual pilgrimage to the glacial-fed Manimahesh lake in tribal Bharmour sub-division of Chamba district concluded on Tuesday, amid chanting of religious hymns.

The 11-day annual pilgrimage to the glacial-fed Manimahesh lake in tribal Bharmour sub-division of Chamba district concluded on Tuesday, amid chanting of religious hymns.

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The civil administration officials at Bharmour said that over two lakh pilgrims reached Manimahesh during the last two days of pilgrimage while a total of over 6 lakh devotees took holy dip in the lake during the entire Yatra.

“An estimated 1 lakh pilgrims took holy dip in the lake on the concluding day of the pilgrimage after the 'Chhari Yatra' procession of Lord Shiva. The holy mace reached at the lake on the occasion of Radhashtmi -- the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna's consort Radha.

The annual pilgrimage started on August 17, on Janmashtmi- (birth anniversary of Lord Krishna) and 'Charri Yatra' began on August 26 from the 1000-year-old Lakshmi Narayan temple at Chamba town.
Half a dozen casualties have been reported during the pilgrimage, owing to medical reasons and accidents.

Every year, lakhs of people trek to the oval- shaped lake located at a height of 4,080 metre.
The journey on foot starts from Hadsar at a height of 6,000 feet, and after passing through craggy, inhospitable terrain and extreme climatic condition, concludes at the lake.

The impact of the floods in Uttarakhand last year that left hundreds dead had led to a massive decline in the number of pilgrims undertaking the annual Manimahesh Yatra.

Only 76,222 pilgrims had undertaken the pilgrimage to the scared lake last year.