Sinha has 'pratham darshan' of 'Shivalingam' at Amarnath

Holy Cave Shrine of Amarnath, June 11 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha today performed ''Pratham Darshan (first glimpse)'' at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath, marking the commencement of the two-month-long pilgrimage.

Despite early morning drizzle, the Governor offered special prayers in the holy cave shrine amid chanting of vedic hymns by priests with devotees shouting ''Har Har Mahadev'' in the periphery.

The queues of devotees kept swelling with the passage of time.

Gen Sinha, who is also the Shri Amarnthji Shrine Board (SASB) Chairman, and his wife Premini Sinha prayed for peace and tranquility in Jammu and Kashmir.

As the prayers were in progress, a pair of pigeon came flying into the sanctum sanctorum. This created religious fervour among the devotees and the atmosphere was rent with chants of ''Jai Bole''.

Soon after, the cave periphery witnessed mild snowing followed by a bright sunny afternoon.

Talking to journalists, the Governor said the Board, along with with various state government departments, has made elaborate arrangements for the pilgrims at the advanced base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal.

This year, Gen Sinha said, the pilgrimage commenced simultaneously from both the routes and hoped that the number of pilgrims will cross the last two years' mark of four lakh.

He described the pilgrimage as a unique symbol of Kashmir's pluralistic ethos, known as 'Kashmiriyat', and said the hospitality and warmth of the people has made the yatra a grand success.

The Governor reiterated that adequate measures have been taken to make the pilgrimage eco-friendly. In this regard, temporary pre- fab shelters and toilets have been raised at the camps and en route to the cave shrine.

He visited Baltal and took stock of arrangements made for the pilgrims. Gen Sinha was briefed by officials about the security and other arrangements made for smooth conduct of the pilgrimage. He also went round the newly-built helicopter hanger and the reception centre for the devotees.

Immediately after prayers at the holy cave, the Governor flew to Charar-e-Sharief to pay obeisance at the revered shrine of Alamdar-e-Kashmir Sheikh Nooruddin Wali, also known as Nund Reshi.

At Charar-i-Sharief, the caretakers of the holy shrine briefed the Governor about the facilities being created for pilgrims. They also drew his attention to some of the shortcomings. The Governor assured them that these would be looked into.

UNI AG ASM LR BD2006