Trouble in Kashmir has had little impact on the annual Amarnath Yatra to the holy Shiva shrine tucked away in the Himalayas, with data showing that some of the most disturbed years in the Valley have seen high numbers of pilgrims taking part in the arduous trek.
A total of 2.60 lakh people took part in the just concluded yatra to the cave with the naturally-formed ice lingam this summer. According to data provided by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), the number of pilgrims in the yatra this year, which began on June 29 and ended on August 7, was 40,000 more than the 2.20 lakh last year.
A comparative study of the data on the number of pilgrims over the years indicates that large numbers of people joined the yatras even when the Valley was beset by violence.
In 2008, when 5.33 lakh pilgrims undertook the yatra, the Amarnath land row agitation was at its peak, as the state witnessed widespread protests for and against the allotment of nearly 100 acres of land to the SASB by the then PDP-BJP government for creating permanent facilities for pilgrims.
In 2009, which was relatively peaceful, 3.81 lakh pilgrims joined the yatra, but the numbers shot to 4.56 lakh the following year when Kashmir witnessed a five-month-long summer agitation against a fake encounter killing of three people in the Macchil sector.
The yatra period coincided with unrest in the Valley.
The highest number of pilgrims to the 3880-metre high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas was recorded in 2011 when 6.34 lakh people joined the pilgrimage. The number soared to a record high despite apprehensions that there would be a repeat of 2010-like protests in Kashmir.
Since then, the numbers have mostly shown a decline.
In 2012, 6.20 lakh pilgrims joined the yatra.