Despite violence, record turnout for Amarnath yatra

PLIGRIM'S PROGRESS: More than four lakh devotees have turned up in the first two weeks.

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Chandanwari (J-K): Twenty-six-year old Praveen Kumar, an executive with a multinational company, is on his fourth successive Amarnath yatra.

The news of trouble in Kashmir over the transfer of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board and reports of violence in Jammu did not deter him from embarking upon the 25-km trek of faith and devotion.

“They told there is risk in Jammu and Kashmir but we don’t care about the protest. We believe in the holy power of Shiva,” he says.

Though there were violent protests across Jammu and Kashmir over the transfer of land, a record number of pilgrims are doing the trek.

Compared with last year's 2.5 lakh pilgrims who went to the cave in a period of two months, this year, more than four lakh devotees have turned up in the first two weeks.

This has been good news for pony operators like Abdul Qayoom. “I am a poor labourer and come here for two months to this place to make a living,” he says.