JAMMU: To mark the beginning of this year’s annual Amarnath Yatra, a ‘Pratham Pooja’ performed on Tuesday on the occasion of Jayesth Purnima at the holy cave shrine of Lord Shiva.
The Amarnath yatra remained suspended for the last three years owing mainly to the coronavirus pandemic.
The authorities are expecting record 6 to 8 lakh pilgrims for the upcoming yatra even as the recent spurt in the targeted killings in the Kashmir valley has put the security apparatus on tenterhooks.
The 43-day-long Amarnath yatra to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva located in the upper reaches of Himalayas, is scheduled to start on June 30 from the twin routes – traditional 48-km Nunwan in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam and 14-km shorter Baltal in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal.
Sadhus-Saints and scholars worship the holy Cave duly by performing Havan and Aarti. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board Niteshwar Kumar along with office bearers of Budha Amarnath Yatri Trust were present on the occasion.
The pilgrimage was halted midway in 2019 following the Centre’s move to end J&K’s special constitutional position. Subsequently, the two waves of pandemic disallowed the authorities to resume the pilgrimage. This year, the government is introducing RFID system for pilgrims to track their movement en-route to ensure their well-being, besides upgrading telecommunication channels to ensure better connectivity for the yatris
Shri Amarnath Shrine Board has given permission to Baba Barfani Langar Organisation. In couple of days the langar establishments will start reaching Jammu and Kashmir. The organizations will be establishing langers from Baltal and Pahalgam upto the holy cave come many parts of country including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other states. Maximum 22 langars are installed at the Baltal and Domel.
Shri Amarnath Shrine Board has given permission to Baba Barfani Langar Organisation. From next week langar establishments will start reaching Jammu and Kashmir. The organizations will be establishing langers from Baltal and Pahalgam upto the holy cave come many parts of country including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other states. Maximum 22 langars are installed at the Baltal and Domel.
Couple of days back Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha while reviewing the preparations for the annual pilgrimage of Amarnath stressed that all the work of yatra arrangements should be completed within the set timeline. He also called upon the officials to ensure optimum use of technology to make the yatra safer and more convenient for the pilgrims.
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