Anand Singh, from Baltal (Jammu and Kashmir), Jaipur, Rajasthan, lost both his legs in an accident in 2002. Singh, a devotee of Lord Shiva, has begun his 12th pilgrimage to Amarnath at a height of 3,880 meters for the holy darshan. Cave temple.
He said, "I started coming to Baba's court in 2010. I missed the Yatra in 2013 due to floods in Kedarnath and the Yatra was postponed for two years."
Singh, who is disabled in both legs, sits in a cutout of a truck tire and uses his hands to walk.
"For the first four or five years, I used to pull myself with my hands but now it has become difficult for me. I travel in a palanquin," Singh said.
Highlighting the "special" nature of his relationship with Lord Shiva, he said, "This bond is getting stronger every year. That's why I have come here."
Despite his disabilities, he does not feel "deprived".
He said, "It doesn't matter what people say about me. While some people see my efforts positively, others criticize me. Not all people are the same."
Singh has vowed to visit the sacred cave temple as long as he can himself do so.
The annual pilgrimage to the cave temple, a natural ice pillar resembling a lingam, in the Pahalgam area of Anantnag district in the south Kashmir Himalayas began on Saturday.
The 52-day pilgrimage will end on August 19.
This cave was discovered by a Muslim shepherd more than 150 years ago.
He said, "I started coming to Baba's court in 2010. I missed the Yatra in 2013 due to floods in Kedarnath and the Yatra was postponed for two years."
Singh, who is disabled in both legs, sits in a cutout of a truck tire and uses his hands to walk.
"For the first four or five years, I used to pull myself with my hands but now it has become difficult for me. I travel in a palanquin," Singh said.
Highlighting the "special" nature of his relationship with Lord Shiva, he said, "This bond is getting stronger every year. That's why I have come here."
Despite his disabilities, he does not feel "deprived".
He said, "It doesn't matter what people say about me. While some people see my efforts positively, others criticize me. Not all people are the same."
Singh has vowed to visit the sacred cave temple as long as he can himself do so.
The annual pilgrimage to the cave temple, a natural ice pillar resembling a lingam, in the Pahalgam area of Anantnag district in the south Kashmir Himalayas began on Saturday.
The 52-day pilgrimage will end on August 19.
This cave was discovered by a Muslim shepherd more than 150 years ago.
