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Over 12,000 pilgrims offer prayer at Amarnath shrine
The first batch of pilgrims, who had assembled in base camps in Kashmir after they were flagged off from Jammu in security convoys on Wednesday, started the trek early morning from Baltal base camp in central Ganderbal district and Nunwan base camp in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam in Anantnag district
As the first light of dawn ushered in, the first batches of devotees undertaking the annual Amarnath Yatra started their pilgrimage to the cave shrine in Kashmir Himalayas from the base camps in south and central Kashmir on Thursday. And after hours of trek, hundreds of pilgrims reached the shrine.
Over 12,000 pilgrims had darshan of the naturally formed ice ‘Shivling’ in the holy cave shrine of Amarnath on the first day of the pilgrimage, officials said.
“A total of 12,348 pilgrims paid obeisance at the 3,880-metre high cave shrine on the first day of the pilgrimage,” they said.
The first batch of pilgrims, who had assembled in base camps in Kashmir after they were flagged off from Jammu in security convoys on Wednesday, started the trek early morning from Baltal base camp in central Ganderbal district and Nunwan base camp in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam in Anantnag district.
Chanting religious slogans, the pilgrims appeared full of zeal as officials, including Kashmir divisional commissioner Vijay Kumar Bidhuri flagged off the batch of pilgrims for the journey towards the cave shrine from Baltal.
“We are a batch of 40 people who have come from Andhra Pradesh in a bus. For all of us this is the first time that we have come for the yatra. The police have been helping a lot,” said a pilgrim at Baltal.
While Pahalgam is the longer (48km) but easier route, Baltal (14 km) route’s steepness makes it difficult, despite it being shorter. For the past few years, the administration has been widening the tracks, installing railings and lights for the ease of the pilgrims.
Those taking the Baltal route return from the pilgrimage on the same day. The journey through Pahalgam takes a few days to complete.
At the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, pilgrims were all praise for the security arrangements and the facilities. “We have no fear. There are enough security forces and things are like they used to be before. We found no issue with the arrangements,” a Gujrat pilgrim said.
The 38-day annual Hindu pilgrimage, which will end on August 9 this year, comes just two months after a major terror attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran, in which 25 tourists and a local were killed by terrorists on April 22.
Only one-third of the pilgrims registered for this year’s Amarnath Yatra before the Pahalgam terror attack have confirmed their travel to the cave shrine, J&K LG Manoj Sinha said last week, noting that overall pilgrim registration has dropped by over 10% from last year in the wake of the April 22 attack. Of the 2,36,000 pilgrims who had registered, just over 85,000 pilgrims have reconfirmed their registration, the LG had said.
Last year, around 5,12,000 pilgrims had performed the yatra, the highest in over a decade.
Union minister of state, Shobha Karandlaje, had also come for the yatra. “A lot of people have come, even from foreign countries. I have come many times before as well but this time the infrastructure is also good. Roads and tunnels have been constructed. People of Kashmir are together strengthening this yatra,” she said before the trek.
The authorities have put in place an elaborate security plan to thwart any danger to the pilgrims and tourists.
The yatris are ferried in convoys from Jammu to Kashmir base camps. There is a three-tier security at the base camps while security forces are carrying out area domination regularly. More police and CAPF personnel have been deployed than last year while verification of all service providers has been done.
Ganderbal senior superintendent of police (SSP) Khalil Poswal said all the forces are on ground for a secure yatra. “The security from the camping site, including route up to holy cave is in place. In addition to that we are also dominating the ridges. We are ensuring that the yatra is conducted in a secure atmosphere,” he said.
He said that the movement of pilgrims is being regulated so that there is no stampede. “Pilgrims were allowed in a staggered manner,” he said.
The officer said that some yatris are arriving ahead of their schedule. “They come in hurry and some even come before their yatra date. Those who have come early, we are sending them back so that there is no congestion. There is a specific carrying capacity of the places and keeping that in mind, we appeal yatris to come on their specified dates,” he said.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based tracking system have already been introduced in the past few years. All pilgrims and service providers have been provided cards. For live feed, high quality cameras have been established at various places and integrated command and control centres are functional -one in Raj Bhawan and another with J&K police.
Divisional commissioner Bhiduri said that common people as well as security forces were part of this event. “This yatra is not just a religious event but it is for all people- security forces , pony and pithu walas, tent installations , sanitation workers - all are involved and it is a yatra of all. The enthusiasm is unparalleled,” he said.
