Two US nationals join J&K's Amarnath Yatra, call it a ‘dream come true’ | WATCH
The US nationals said that they were inspired by "Swami Vivekananda's visit to the Amarnath Shrine" and that they had known this story for the past 40 years.
Alongside thousands of pilgrims heading to Jammu and Kashmir for the Amarnath Yatra, two US nationals from California were spotted on Tuesday undertaking the pilgrimage. They said that visiting the shrine had been a “dream come true” for them and that they had been waiting for this opportunity for many years, reported ANI.
“We always dreamt of coming to the shrine. We watched YouTube videos on this yatra and planned to visit for many years. Now, everything fell into place, and we are here,” said the US nationals in a video shared by news agency ANI.
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The yatra, which began on July 1, is a 62-day annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine located at an altitude of 3,888 meters in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
When asked about their feeling upon visiting the place, one of the US pilgrims said, “It's impossible to describe our feeling to have come here.”
“By Bholenath's grace, everything came together, and we are here. We are seeped in gratitude to have come for the darshan here in Amarnath,” they added.
They also praised the Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine board, saying that it has managed things very well and the programs conducted near the shrine are very impressive.
“There is a particular kind of peace that this place and these mountains, and of course, that holy cave provide. We wish this peace can prevail for everyone,” one of them said.
Inspired by Swami Vivekanand
When asked about their inspiration to join the Amarnath Yatra, one of the foreign nationals said, “The devotee of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, came to Amarnath, and he had a very important experience. I have known this story for 40 years.”
He further added that Swami Vivekananda had a vision of Lord Shiva and described it as “very important”.
Amarnath Yatra resumes from Jammu after 3-day suspension
The Amarnath Yatra, which had been halted for three days due to repairs on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in the Ramban section, resumed from the Jammu base camp on Tuesday afternoon.
A new group of pilgrims was permitted to proceed towards Kashmir for their onward journey to the Amarnath cave shrine. The highway, previously damaged at multiple locations due to continuous rainfall, has now been reopened.
Since June 30, a total of 43,833 pilgrims have started their journey from the Jammu base camp in seven different groups towards the cave shrine. The pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 31.
