Amarnath Yatra Resumes Smoothly, 7,900+ Devotees Set Out with Renewed Faith
Srinagar (The Uttam Hindu): The Amarnath Yatra has resumed from Jammu after being halted for a day due to bad weather. On Friday, a new batch of 7,908 devotees left Jammu for the holy cave shrine.
Officials said that since the commencement of the Amarnath Yatra on July 3, more than 2.52 lakh pilgrims have paid their obeisance. On Friday, 2,879 pilgrims in 92 vehicles departed at 3:30 AM in the first convoy towards the Baltal camp, while the second convoy, comprising 169 vehicles carrying 5,029 pilgrims, left at 4:25 AM for the Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp.
Earlier, on July 10, the sacred ‘Chhari Mubarak’ (holy mace of Lord Shiva) was brought to Pahalgam for the Bhoomi Pujan ritual, led by Mahant Swami Dipendra Giri and a group of saints. The mace will begin its final journey from the Dashnami Akhara Temple in Srinagar on August 4 and reach the holy cave shrine on August 9, marking the conclusion of the pilgrimage.
This year’s Amarnath Yatra has been placed under a multi-layered security cover, especially after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 civilians in Baisaran Valley based on their faith.
The Army, BSF, CRPF, SSB, local police, and 180 additional companies of CAPF have been deployed for security. The 38-day Yatra will end on August 9, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan. The Amarnath cave is located at an altitude of 3,888 meters, housing the naturally formed ice Shivling, which waxes and wanes with the phases of the moon, symbolizing the divine powers of Lord Shiva.
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