Over 1 lakh devotees visit Amarnath in first five days of annual yatra

Srinagar: Over one lakh devotees paid obeisance and had the darshan of fully formed natural Shivling or ice-lingam of Lord Shiva at the Amarnath cave-shrine in the first five days of the annual pilgrimage to the revered place of Hindu worship tucked away in the Kashmir Himalayas at a height of 3,888 metres, officials here said. They added that as many as thirty thousand pilgrims relocated to the cave-shrine on Wednesday itself.

The 52-day-long yatra began on June 29 from both traditional Pahalgam and shorter Baltal routes in the Kashmir Valley’s Anantnag and Ganderbal districts, respectively. The J&K government and the officials of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) which manages the affairs of the annual event expect more than half a million pilgrims to visit the cave-shrine during the yatra to be concluded on August 19, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan. More than 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid their obeisance at the cave-shrine last year.

Meanwhile, a fresh batch of 5,725 pilgrims which had left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas basecamp in Jammu early Wednesday morning has reached the Kashmir Valley under police escort. “Of these, 2,514 pilgrims have arrived at the Baltal basecamp and the remaining 3,211 at Nunwan (Pahalgam),” an official said. He added that they will leave for the cave-shrine early Thursday morning.

Also, hundreds of worshippers are reaching the Valley on their own either by road or flights on a daily basis. However, the vehicles they travel in are stopped at designated places en-route to Pahalgam and Baltal and then escorted by the J&K police and CRPF to the basecamps in small convoys. Those among them who have not got themselves registered before heading for the Valley are asked to obtain on-the-spot registration before embarking on the journey through arduous hills to Amarnath, said an official.

Tight security arrangements have been made for the yatra. The officials said that apart from the deployments, a robust security cover is put in place which includes satellite and chip-based tracking of vehicles and pilgrims along the yatra routes, basecamps and halting stations to ensure a smooth and incident free pilgrimage. Also drones, mobile bunker vehicles and road opening parties (ROPs) have been pressed into service for the purpose. Like last year, CCTVs have also been installed on National Highways including NH44 to strengthen the security and address the traffic related issues. Also, traffic restrictions are being imposed on various routes from June 28 to August 19, with daily advisories issued to minimise inconvenience, the officials said.

The J&K government has, as part of “foolproof arrangement” for the smooth conduct of the event, involved almost its’ all departments and agencies in it. Interestingly, the local Muslims traditionally play an important role in the conduct of the pilgrimage. They have set up hundreds of makeshift eateries and tea-stalls besides as many as 125 free langars or community kitchens laid by about 6,000 volunteers, mainly of outside voluntary groups and charities at Baltal, Chandanwari and Nunwun and also at other halting places en-route the save-shrine. Hundreds of ponywallas and porters-almost all locals- have also moved in to serve the pilgrims. Tent cities have already come up at Baltal and Nunwan.

Meanwhile, Inspector General, Kashmir Frontier, Border Security Force (BSF) Ashok Yadav on Wednesday reviewed the operational readiness of the paramilitary force, deployed along the Pahalgam axis for the yatra.

A BSF spokesman said that Mr. Yadav inspected the security and surveillance grid to ensure coordinated alertness of the road opening party (ROP) for smooth and safe pilgrimage.

The spokesman wrote on ‘X.’, “Ashok Yadav, IPS, IG, reviewed the operational readiness of the BSF troops deployed along the Pahalgam axis for #AmarnathYatra. The IG interacted with the troops & inspected the security & surveillance grid to ensure coordinated alertness of the ROP for smooth & safe pilgrimage.”

At Srinagar’s historic City centre Lal Chowk, the SASB held a cleanliness awareness campaign for the yatra. “Pilgrims were welcomed at the Clock Tower of Lal Chowk with a grand reception marked by cultural performances and a strong commitment to cleanliness,” an official release said. It added the event graced by the chief guest Commissioner Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Mandeep Kaur, “beautifully blended tradition and modernity to promote a clean pilgrimage experience.”

The government said that cleanliness camps have been established along the yatra routes, complemented by educational programs promoting a litter-free pilgrimage.