Amarnath Yatra leaves Saina grateful and inspired

Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal undertook the Amarnath Yatra to pay obeisance at the holy cave shrine housing the naturally-formed ice-lingam of lord Shiva in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said on Thursday.

The badminton player is currently staying at the picturesque tourist resort of Sonamarg, in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district, which falls on the way to the Baltal base camp of the yatra, they said.

Nehwal, along with her mother Usha Nehwal, undertook the pilgrimage on Wednesday, the officials said.

After paying obeisance at the holy cave shrine, Nehwal said she felt blessed and was bestowed with positivity, strength and peace of mind.

"We had very good darshan of the Amarnath ji. People mostly discuss these things that they want to have darshan of Amarnath ji, but, I feel blessed that I had the darshan along with my mother," she said in a video released by the Jammu and Kashmir's Department of Information and Public Relations.

Nehwal expressed gratitude to the J-K administration, the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) and the security forces.

"You feel good and your mind is at peace. It was a very good experience, a comfortable one," the former world number one said.