Gopeshwar, September 3

The yatra to the Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand began on Thursday and the first batch of pilgrims was flagged off at Govindghat.

The Sikh shrine in Garhwal Himalayas will open for devotees on Friday.

Only a limited number of devotees led by ‘Panj Pyaras’ were allowed to proceed for the high altitude shrine amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Gurdwara Prabandhan Samiti officials said.

The pilgrims were gifted ‘saropas’ as per the custom, they said, adding that they will stop for the night at Ghanghariya.

The yatra is beginning late by three months this year due to the pandemic. PTI