Amarnath Yatra: Over 1.50 lakh pilgrims have successfully performed the Amarnath Yatra so far, the officials of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) in Jammu said, as reported by news agency IANS on Sunday. The total number of pilgrims who had 'darshan' reached 1.59 lakh after 7,500 had 'darshan' on Saturday, despite the temporary suspension of Yatra due to heavy rainfall.
“Due to heavy rain and slippery track conditions, Yatra was temporarily suspended yesterday, still 7,500 pilgrims had ‘darshan’ inside the holy cave shrine. Another batch of 6,145 Yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu in two escorted convoys for the Valley today," the officials said, as quoted by IANS.
"The first escorted convoy left at 3.10 a.m. carrying 2,697 Yatris in 115 vehicles for the North Kashmir Baltal base camp. The second escorted convoy left at 3.42 a.m. carrying 3,448 Yatris in 123 vehicles to the South Kashmir Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp,” officials said.
Speaking about the Yatra, a pilgrim, Monica, said, "I have come here from Indore. From here, I will go to Pahalgam... I am very happy to visit the temple. The facilities are good. We did not face any issues here."
"I am feeling good. I am very excited about this journey... I want to thank the government for all the facilities here. PM Modi is doing good work as the Prime Minister," another pilgrim said.
IMD Predicts Cloudy Weather On Both Yatra Routes
The Meteorological (MeT) department has forecast partially cloudy weather on both the Yatra routes with the possibility of intermittent light rain and thundershowers during the day, as reported by IANS. Yatris take either the 48 km long traditional Pahalgam route or the shorter 14 km long Baltal route to perform the Yatra.
Those using the Pahalgam route take four days to reach the cave shrine while those taking the Baltal route return to the base camp the same day after having ‘darshan’ inside the cave shrine.
The cave shrine situated 3888 metres above sea level houses an ice stalagmite structure that wanes and waxes with the phases of the moon. Devotees believe that the ice stalagmite structure symbolises the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.
Tight Security Arrangements In Place
Security has been hightened and extensive arrangements have been made this year all along the nearly 300 km long Jammu-Srinagar highway, at the twin Yatra routes, the two base camps, and the cave shrine to ensure a smooth, incident-free Yatra.
According to IANS, over 124 ‘langars’ (community kitchens) have been set up along both routes and also at the transit camps and the cave shrine. Over 7,000 ‘Sevadars’ (volunteers) are serving the Yatris during this year’s Yatra. Helicopter services are also available for the Yatris on both routes.