Amid tight security, over 13,000 pilgrims visit Amarnath on day 1 of Yatra
Pilgrims during the Amarnath Yatra. (archive image)
More than 13,000 pilgrims visited the holy cave temple of Amarnath on Saturday, the first day of the annual pilgrimage in Kashmir’s southern Himalayas, which is conducted amid tight security.
The first group of pilgrims had left the twin base camps at Baltal and Nunwan to begin their journey to the cave shrine at an altitude of 3,880 metres.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the pilgrims at the start of the Amarnath Yatra and said that the ‘darshan’ of Lord Shiva is known to infuse immense energy in his devotees.
“My sincere best wishes to all pilgrims on the commencement of the holy Amarnath Yatra. This Yatra, associated with the darshan of Baba Barfani, gives immense energy to the devotees of Lord Shiva. May all devotees prosper with His blessings. Jai Baba Barfani , the principal minister said in a post on X in Hindi.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the Modi government is committed to ensuring a safe, smooth and pleasant pilgrimage to the cave shrine.
“Shri Amarnath Yatra is an eternal symbol of traditionalism and continuity of Indian culture. This divine Yatra begins today. I wish all the devotees good fortune for darshan,” Shah wrote on ‘X’ in Hindi.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, our government is committed to ensuring safe, smooth and enjoyable journey of the devotees and the government has taken all possible measures to ensure that the devotees do not face any inconvenience. Har Har Mahadev,” it added he admits.
The Yatra began early in the morning from the two tracks: the traditional 48 km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14 km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal.
“As many as 13,736 pilgrims visited the cave temple for darshan of the naturally formed ice lingam on the first day,” an official said.
Pilgrims included 3,300 women, 52 children, 102 sadhus and 682 security personnel who visited the shrine via the two routes
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday flagged off the first batch of 4,603 pilgrims from the Yatri Niwas base camp in Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu.
Strict security arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of the Yatra.
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. Aerial surveillance is also carried out.
The 52-day pilgrimage ends on August 19.
Meanwhile, central public sector undertaking ONGC has set up two hospitals of 100 beds each at the two Amarnath base camps in Kashmir and announced that the facilities will remain operational after the annual yatra.
Last year, over 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine.
First print: June 29, 2024 | 9:12 PM IST