Harmukh-Gangbal Yatra Begins In J&K, Devotees Worship Shiva At An Altitude Of 14500 Ft

The 13th visit to Harmukh-Gangbal in Kashmir has begun today. Covid protocols have reduced the number of devotees joining the yatra.

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New Delhi: The 13th visit to Harmukh-Gangbal, known as Kailash among Kashmir Pandits, has begun today. The 36-km journey to the Natural Lake on the Harmukh hill, considered to be the residence of Lord Shiva at an altitude of 16832 feet in Ganderbal in central Kashmir, will be completed in three days.

This time too, the number of devotees joining the yatra has been reduced due to covid protocols. Due to Covid, all religious activities were banned this year and the annual Amarnath Yatra could not take place. However, the journey has now started after the SOP was given.

According to the Harmukh Gange Trust, which runs the Harmukh Yatra, the yatra began with a puja at the temple in Naranag on Monday morning with which the yatra formally began.

The holy stick in the puja was worshipped. Nararang temple was built in the 8th century under the rule of King Lalitaditya. According to Vinod Pandit, the head of the trust, this time too, only Wand Mubarak is allowed to go for the yatra due to Covid and there is currently a ban on the arrival of common devotees. The district administration had made all arrangements for the yatra.

This time there is a batch of 30 passengers in the yatra along with a team of army, police and paramilitary forces for security while the district administration has also provided healthy facilities. Those involved in the yatra will walk for three days to worship Shiva on the Harmukh Ganga built in the himalayan harmukh hill Shankala at an altitude of 14,500 feet.

Harmukh is known as Kailash of Kashmiri Pandit-Kashmir and comes here for pinddaan and shradh of his forefathers. Also this year this puja took place today on the day of Ganga Ashtami. According to Ritika, to join the yatra, the importance of the yatra is the same as that of Haridwar and Ganga for the rest of the country.

Tour resumed from 2009

After decades of closure, APMCC, a Kashmiri Pandit organisation, resumed the yatra in June 2009 and since then a controlled number of pilgrims have come here for worship and travel every year in a row. It is also important for Kashmiri Pandits to visit the Ganga in Kashi and offer shradh and pinddaan to their deceased families, so Kashmiri Pandits come to perform this puja in the Harmukh Ganga.