Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said over 4.14 lakh devotees performed Amarnath yatra this year. This pilgrimage performed through twin routes of Pahalgam in south Kashmir and Batal in central Kashmir, he added.

He felicitated the officers of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), Administration, J&K Police, Army, CAPFs, BRO, service providers, medical professionals, members of NGOs, and other stakeholders for the successful conduct of Amarnath Yatra this year.

He said this at a felicitation ceremony held at Raj Bhawan Auditorium, Srinagar on Tuesday. Last year, 5.1 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas.

The enthusiasm and devotion of devotees and successful pilgrimage was a befitting reply to the enemy’s design of destabilizing peace in J&K UT, he said.

He congratulated people of J&K for making the pilgrimage a rich spiritual experience for devotees. Amarnath Yatra is a confluence of humanity and faith. Every pilgrim is now a brand ambassador for Jammu Kashmir, Sinha added.

He asked the officials to analyze and apply the experiences and lessons learned from this year’s pilgrimage, and take up the works on priority for a better experience of the pilgrims in future.

This year’s 38-day Amarnath yatra started on July 3^rd. However, the authorities suspended the yatra a week before its scheduled end on August 9^th on Raksha Bandhan, citing adverse weather conditions and its impact on the yatra.