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Manimahesh Yatra concludes, over 3 lakh devotees undertake pilgrimage
Manimahesh Yatra came to an end on Sunday morning with more than 3 lakh devotees undertaking the pilgrimage this year. The 15-day Yatra was held after a gap of two years due to the pandemic
The annual Manimahesh Yatra came to an end on Sunday morning with more than 3 lakh devotees undertaking the pilgrimage this year.
The 15-day Yatra, which began on August 19 in Budhil valley of Bharmour subdivision in Chamba district, was held after a gap of two years due to the Covid pandemic.
Chamba deputy commissioner DC Rana said about 2.5 lakh devotees took the holy dip in the sacred Maimahesh Lake from August 19 to September 3. More than 60,000 devotees undertook the pilgrimage before the official start of the Yatra.
The oval-shaped glacier-fed lake is situated at 13,500 ft above mean sea level at the foot of Manimahesh Kailash peak, believed to abode of Lord Shiva, in Pir Panjal Range of Himalayas.
Two private heli-taxi operators engaged by the administration ferried over 8,800 pilgrims.
He said that 774 police personnel under the supervision of four gazetted officers were deployed on the 14-km trek to maintain law and order and CCTV cameras were installed from Bharmour to Hadsar, the base camp of the Yatra.
For the first time, teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed to carry out rescue operations and meet an eventuality.
The yatra had to be suspended for two days after landslides and flashfloods triggered by heavy rains on August 20. At least 10 devotees died during the pilgrimage due to health reasons and natural calamities.
Rana said that all possible efforts were made by the administration to provide better facilities to the devotees.
For the first time, registration was made mandatory for the pilgrims and was done online as well as offline.
“Various steps are being taken to make the Yatra safer in the coming years,” he said, adding that 55 temporary toilets and 102 water taps were installed along the trek besides health camps at key points where 83 doctors and health workers provided health services to the devotees.
The DC expressed gratitude to the government officials, health professionals, NDRF, SDRF, police, home guards, volunteers from the mountaineering sub-centre, local volunteers, NGOs and PRI representatives who rendered their service for the successful conduct of the Yatra.
“All the facilities have been closed down from Sunday and devotees are now urged not to undertake Yatra anymore for their own safety,” he said.
The yatra starts on the Janmashtmi festival, the birthday of Lord Krishna, and concludes on Radhashtmi.
The journey starts from Hadsar at a height of 6,000 feet, and after passing through rugged, cold and inhospitable terrain, and it concludes at 13,500 feet at the lake.
