The annual Amarnath Yatra began on July 1. (File)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 103rd episode of his monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat spoke about two US nationals from California who had come for a pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath shrine inspired by the experiences of Swami Vivekananda.
"People from all over the world are coming to our pilgrimages. I came to know about two such American friends who came from California for Amarnath Yatra. They heard about the experiences of Swami Vivekananda related to Amarnath Yatra. They got so inspired that they themselves went on Amarnath Yatra. They consider it a blessing of Lord Shiva," said PM Modi.
Speaking about the global appeal of Indian pilgrimages, the Prime Minister said, "This is a speciality of India, that it accepts everyone and gives something or the other to everyone."
Earlier in July, the two US nationals described the beauty of undertaking the Amarnath Yatra and said they had a dream to come to the holy shrine and by Bholenath's grace they have come there.
"Swami Vivekananda came to Amarnath, he had a very important experience. I have known of this story for 40 years. It seemed impossible and was a dream to come here. But by Bholenath's grace, everything came together and here we are. We can't explain how we feel," said one of the US nationals during their pilgrimage.
The Amarnath Yatra-2023 has witnessed a significant increase in the number of foreign pilgrims visiting the holy shrine. The pilgrimage's allure extends beyond national boundaries, drawing people from all over the world to partake in this spiritually enriching experience.
The annual Amarnath Yatra began on July 1. The 62-day pilgrimage will culminate on August 31.
The Mann ki Baat radio programme, which started on October 3, 2014, is a key pillar of the government's citizen-outreach programme addressing multiple social groups such as women, youth, and farmers and has spurred community action.
Apart from 22 Indian languages and 29 dialects, 'Mann Ki Baat' is broadcast in 11 foreign languages including French, Chinese, Indonesian, Tibetan, Burmese, Baluchi, Arabic, Pashtu, Persian, Dari and Swahili. Mann Ki Baat was broadcast by more than 500 broadcast centres of All India Radio.
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