Jammu: As the total cases of coronavirus in India reach 11,55,191, there is growing uncertainty over the Amarnath yatra this year and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) is expected to make a final decision today.  The shrine board will take a final decision on conducting the yatra today in a meeting scheduled in the evening.

The Amarnath shrine is one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites. It is located at 3,888 m above sea level in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. The cave is covered in snow most of the year but opens for pilgrims for a short period during summer. The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted the yatra this year and several measures have been planned to ensure safety during the yatra. This year the yatra is scheduled to begin from July 21 instead of 23 June. The first pooja was held on 5th July at the cave and Pahalgam.

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But as the cases of Covid 19 continues to rise in the state, there are still doubts if the pilgrimage will take place this year.

Here’s what we know so far.

Holy Lingam melting

There are reports that the holy lingam is melting rapidly and a report by The Statesman says that this year the lingam was shorter and thinner in size. This phenomenon seems to be the result of climate change as the lingam has been melting for the past few years. The report says that even in 2018 it melted before the pilgrimage was over.

Terror threat

Last week the Indian army had announced that the Yatra may be a target for terrorists. According to a report by ANI, the army received information from sources that the NH-44 taken by the devotees was sensitive to attacks.

Brigadier VS Thakur, Commander 2 sector had said in the report, “NH 44 continues to be sensitive because that is the route that the yatris would take to go to the North route. This axis is a bit sensitive. The yatris will take up this axis to go up to Sonamarg (Ganderbal) and this (Baltal) is the only route that will be active to go up to the Amarnath cave. We remain committed to ensuring Amarnath Yatra will be conducted peacefully without any hindrance and the security situation will continue to remain under control.”

Devotees reach Jammu

According to a report by PTI, a group of six devotees from Ranchi in Jharkhand have already reached Jammu in the hopes of participating in the Yatra. At present, the group is staying at a hotel near the Bus Stand after they were denied entry to stay at Yatri Niwas.

“I have been performing this yatra for the last 11 years. We used to be part of a strong 150-member group but this time we are only six friends visiting the shrine,” said Deepak Choudhary who is part of the group.

The report says that the group had to undergo thermal screening and testing after they arrived at Lakhanpur in Jammu and Kashmir border.

What to expect in the yatra

This year a maximum of only 500 pilgrims will be allowed per day by road from Jammu. During the review of the preparations for Shri Amarnathji Yatra 2020, it was decided that as per the Disaster Management Act and SOPs for Covid19, a 100 percent RTPCR test will be conducted for all persons traveling into J&K for the yatra. And all pilgrims and sadhus will be sampled, tested and quarantined till they are reported to be negative. Yatra this year will be conducted only through a 14 Km long Baltal route.

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