Amarnath Yatra is a symbol of faith and unity, and the people of Jammu and Kashmir feel privileged to be part of the holy pilgrimage, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said here.
Sinha attended an event organised by civil society, trade fraternity and citizens at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) here to welcome pilgrims of Amarnath Yatra.
The first batch of pilgrims reached the valley on Friday. “Glad to have attended an event organised by civil society, trade fraternity & citizens to welcome pilgrims of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra. People feel privileged to be part of holy pilgrimage and contributing to make the journey safe and a truly fulfilling spiritual experience,” the LG said on X.
He said the spiritual journey to the holy cave is the symbol of faith and unity. “For centuries, it has been collective responsibility of the society to make every step of this journey blissful. J-K has glorious heritage of harmony, tolerance and brotherhood. It is the land of almost all religions known to mankind. These values deeply embedded in society are expressed in this yatra and everyone irrespective of religion and caste participates in serving the pilgrims,” Sinha said.
Speaking to reporters at the SKICC, the LG said for the past three-four years, a tradition has been established in Jammu and Kashmir to hold discussions with religious leaders, elected representatives, civil society members, and various district officials before the yatra.
“Today, the first group of pilgrims departed from Bhagwati Nagar, Jammu, and has reached the Nunwan and Baltal camps. Keeping this in mind, there was a discussion held in a very good atmosphere with civil society members, elected representatives, religious leaders, and key administration officials,” he said.
Over the past three to four years, I have observed that everyone provides support in every possible way and maintains the old traditions of Jammu and Kashmir, Sinha said.
“I hope that this year’s yatra will be better than the previous years,” he added.
The first batch of the annual yatra with 4,603 pilgrims reached the Kashmir valley on Friday amid stringent security arrangements. Local Muslims joined senior officials of police and civil administration at several places to welcome the yatris upon their arrival in the valley.
The first batch was earlier flagged off from the Bhagwati Nagar Jammu base camp early morning by Sinha. PTI