Around 4.80 lakh devotees completed the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir this year despite disruptions caused by adverse weather conditions, the government said on Sunday.

“From July 3 to August 28, approximately 4.80 lakh devotees had darshan of Baba Barfani. Adverse weather for more than 10 days posed serious challenges. Around 82% of pilgrims had darshan within the first 20 days; and 95% within the first month,” an official statement released by the Director of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) said.

Following the successful conduct of the 57-day Yatra, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday felicitated officers of Amarnath Shrine Board, Civil Administration, Army, CAPFs, J&K Police, BRO, medical professionals, service providers, and other stakeholders at Lok Bhavan in Srinagar.

Sinha said the pilgrimage is a celebration of collective resolve that transformed hardships into duty, challenges into opportunities, and service into a form of spiritual practice.

LG Sinha expressed gratitude to the officers, security personnel, sanitation workers, pony operators, pithu bearers, palanquin carriers, langar volunteers and medical staff who “ensured a smooth, secure and dignified Yatra despite difficult terrain and adverse weather”.

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“The achievement was not the success of any single institution or department but of ‘Team Jammu Kashmir’ as a whole,” Sinha said.

The LG thanked civil society groups, political parties and religious leaders who provided all the support to the Yatra, and reaffirmed that the discipline, energy and coordination shown during the pilgrimage should now become an enduring part of Jammu & Kashmir’s development ethos.

“I am confident that every citizen of Jammu & Kashmir fulfilled his/her moral responsibility towards this Yatra, directly or indirectly, and elevated the rich cultural tradition of the Union Territory before the entire country. The sacred Yatra reflects India’s Sanatan tradition and its ethos of humanity, coexistence and collective service. Pilgrims from across the country returned home carrying not just a religious experience, but also the message of the region’s culture and hospitality,” he said.

As per the official statement, 54,000 service providers were registered, including 31,000 pony operators, pithu bearers and palanquin carriers, 6,400 tent and shop operators and 7,700 langar volunteers.

“Around 1.87 lakh pilgrims availed palanquin and pony services with medical facilities being provided at 93 places along the route, with 595 clinical beds and 26 oxygen booths. A total 1,430 doctors and nursing personnel were on round-the-clock duty, supported by 48 ambulances,” it said.

For sanitation, 7,900 toilets were installed and maintained by as many sanitation workers as part of a zero-waste Yatra initiative. The pilgrim-holding capacity was raised to 63,000 within the Yatra area and 54,000 across Jammu and Kashmir divisions, the government added.