Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Sep 13: A team of eight persons, who unexpectedly got caught in the unprecedented rain that lashed Jammu and Kashmir when they were on a pilgrimage to Vaishono Devi shrine there, reached their hometowns safely on the evening of Thursday September 11.

Yermal Kishore Shetty, Harish Udyavar, Praveen Suvarna Manipal, Shivaprakash Shetty Manipal, Ganesh Malpe, Radhakrishna Shetty, Santosh Shetty, and Indrali Vasant Shetty, who had left on this pilgrimage on a package tour organized by a firm in the town, are a happy lot, having returned home unscathed. The team reached by flight after touching down at Mumbai and Bangalore.

Four days before this team of friends was to begin its tour, the famous pilgrimage to the temple of goddess on Himalayan range had been cancelled. As the temple again opened for devotees, the team decided to go ahead with its pilgrimage plan. However, during the period these devotees were walking the 23 km long mountain trail to the temple, heavy rain lashed the area, heaping unexpected problems on them.

Over two lac devotees were waiting in the queue to the temple. As the sea of people surged ahead, the team faced anxious moments after one of the members, Ganesh Malpe, was shoved much ahead by the bustling crowd. However, the team went through a sense of relief and contentment on reaching the temple and paying obeisance to the presiding deity, its members said.

On their return journey, landslides had blocked their path. As such, military personnel arranged for the evacuation of stranded devotees through another route that passed through Bhairava Ghat, which is five km loner as compared to the other route, it is learnt.

When the team was walking down, strong streams of water were hitting the ground from mountain peaks above, and huge boulders were rolling down. The team members said they felt their end was certain during this trip. By next day, the team members reached Katra by walking in the midst of heavy rain and chilling climate without food or tea. They said that the government had cancelled the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage again after they returned from there.

'The road to Jammu from Katra had become very bad. Landslides and fallen trees had blocked the road everywhere. Because of the efforts and hard work put forth by military personnel, we could reach Jammu albeit with delay. We felt as if we got a rebirth once there,' the friends said.

The members of the group said they had decided not to reveal the hard times they were through during the cell phone calls from their family members, as they felt that the family members would turn anxious. Wiping their tears, the pilgrims said they related about the difficult time they were through to their close ones only after reaching their homes.