Yogesh
Jammu, Jul 3: Breaking all previous records, more than one lakh pilgrims have visited the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the first five days of the annual yatra, which began on June 29.
The officials informed that over 30,000 more pilgrims paid obeisance to Lord Shiva in the cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas till this evening.
“A total of 30,586 pilgrims from different parts of the country paid obeisance at the holy cave of Shri Amarnath Ji till July 03, the fifth day of the yatra, which started from the twin tracks of Baltal and Nunwan-Pahalgam,” they said.
With this, the total number of pilgrims visiting the 3888-metre-high cave shrine in the deep Himalayas during the last four days since the yatra started has reached 1,05,282, surpassing all previous records, where it took more than a week to cross the one-lakh mark.
According to available data, in 2023, the yatra crossed the one-lakh mark on the 10th day of its commencement, while in 2022 it took nine days.
Meanwhile, stringent security arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the yatra. Officials said that thousands of security personnel from the police, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, and other paramilitary forces have been deployed along the route, while the army is overseeing the overall security with the air force providing all-round aerial surveillance.
The sixth batch of 5,725 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas base camp in Jammu for the Kashmir Valley to perform the pilgrimage to the Amarnath Cave Shrine. Chanting ‘Bam Bam Bhole’, the pilgrims left the base camp in a cavalcade of 238 vehicles early this (Wednesday) morning.
These included 4,481 men, 1,034 women, 25 children, 173 Sadhus, and 12 Sadhvis (female sadhus). Of these, 2,514 pilgrims left for Baltal at 3:25 AM and 3,211 for the Pahalgam base camp at 3:45 AM. These pilgrims will reach their respective base camps by this evening, from where they will leave for the holy cave early tomorrow morning under tight security measures.
Over 125 free langars have been established by philanthropic organizations at base camps and in the yatra area up to the holy cave to serve the pilgrims. Moreover, thousands of pilgrims are reaching here from different parts of the country to perform darshan. There is a heavy rush at Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas as well as Saraswati Dham and Vaishnavi Dham near the Railway Station, where on-the-spot registration of the yatris has been opened.
The Amarnath Yatra began on July 29 from the twin tracks — the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal. The 52-day-long Amarnath Ji Yatra will conclude on August 19 this year on the auspicious occasion of Shravan Poornima, which also coincides with the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
More than 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine last year.
