Ganderbal, June 29: The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine began on Saturday as the first batch of pilgrims departed from the Baltal base camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district for the darshan of the holy cave.
Amid the resonant sounds of conch shells and chants of “Bum Bum Bhole,” “Jai Baba Burfani,” and “Har Har Mahadev,” the first group of 4,603 pilgrims embarked on their journey to the shrine, situated at an altitude of 12,756 feet above sea level. They had arrived in the Kashmir valley on Friday under stringent security measures.
This year's 52-day pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 19. Online registrations for the yatra commenced on April 15 through the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board's (SASB) website and portal.
To ensure a smooth and secure pilgrimage, comprehensive arrangements have been made, including three-tier security, area dominations, elaborate route deployments, and checkpoints. Reports indicate that over 3.5 lakh people have registered for this year's yatra. Additionally, 125 community kitchens (langars) have been established along the two routes to the cave shrine, supported by over 6,000 volunteers.
The Amarnath Yatra, which takes place annually amid tight security, can be undertaken via two routes: the traditional 48-km-long Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-km-long Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
The pilgrimage attracts lakhs of devotees every year, who visit during the 'Shravani Mela' in July-August (Shravan month in the Hindu calendar) – the only time of the year when the Amarnath Cave is accessible due to its geographical conditions.
Located 141 km from the capital Srinagar, at an altitude of 12,756 feet in the Ladar Valley, the holy cave of Amarnath remains covered by glaciers and snow-capped mountains for most of the year.
