SRINAGAR: The annual three-day Gangbal Yatra began in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday with fervent religious celebrations, officials said.
Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg formally flagged off the yatra from the Naranag temple in central Kashmir. Speaking at the event, Garg praised the coordinated efforts of all stakeholders for ensuring smooth arrangements for the pilgrimage.
The revered Charri Puja was performed before a group of pilgrims from the Kashmiri Pandit community commenced the yatra, organised by the Harmukh Ganga Gangbal Trust.
Escorted by personnel from the State Disaster Response Force, police, and officials from health and other departments, the devotees set out on a 15-kilometre trek to the sacred Gangbal Lake, located at an altitude of about 14,500 feet in the Harmukh mountain range.
Rituals will be conducted on the banks of Gangbal Lake, and the pilgrims are expected to return the following day, officials added.
