Army Team Inspects Route To Hemkund Sahib, Before May 20 Reopening

An Army team on Sunday visited the Hemkund Sahib, which will open for pilgrims on May 20, and inspected the road leading to the revered Sikh shrine in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand, an official said.

Narinderjit Singh Bindra, chairman of the Gurudwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib Management Trust, said the road to the shrine is enveloped by a 10-feet blanket of snow on the Atlakoti glacier.

The shrine itself is covered by 8-12 feet of snow while the lake on whose banks it is situated is blanketed by a layer of snow, Bindra added.

He added that the Army personnel would begin to clear the snow from the route from April 20.

The road will be ready well before the pilgrimage season begins on May 20, Bindra said, quoting the Army team.

Indian Army jawans clear the snow from the road leading to Hemkund Sahib ahead of the pilgrimage season every year.

Located at a height of over 15,000 feet on the banks of a Himalayan lake in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, Hemkund Sahib is the highest Sikh shrine in the world.

The visiting Army team included Brigade Commander Brigadier Aman Anand, Officer Commander Colonel Sunil Yadav, Captain Manik Sharma, Subedar Major Nekchand and Havildar Harsevak Singh, Bindra added.

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