Thousands of devotees join Buddha Amarnath Yatra

Poonch, Aug 2 (ANI): Thousands of devotees joined the annual Buddha Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

The pilgrimage, which started on July 27 from Vaid Mandir Ambphalla, will conclude on August 5.

They trekked the arduous hilly terrain to get a glimpse of Buddha Amarnath.

"The arrangements of this yatra have been revised from time to time. We have made the arrangements for the devotees in Mandi and Poonch by utilising all our means and have involved the local people and the NGO's," said Rajan Patack, an organiser of the pilgrimage.

The boarding and the lodging for the devotees were provided by the district administration of Poonch.

All the security arrangements were in place to prevent any untoward incident.

About one lakh pilgrims visited the holy shrine last year.

Buddha Amarnath Temple is an ancient Shiva temple located at the confluence of two streams - the Nallah Gagri and the Pulstaya Nallah.

The residents believe that Ravan's grandfather Pulasta Rishi performed his tapasya here and had a darshan of Lord Shiva. (ANI)