Under strict security deployment, another batch of 6,979 pilgrims embarked from Jammu on Saturday morning to make the holy pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in Kashmir.
The latest batch follows a good beginning to the ongoing annual pilgrimage season, with over 26,800 pilgrims having taken 'Darshan' at the shrine during the first two days of the Yatra, officials confirmed.
After careful planning and execution, the pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu in two escorted convoys of 312 vehicles. Of these, 2,753 are on their way to the Baltal base camp, while the other 4,226 are bound for the Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp, officials further added.
On Friday, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha opened a newly built Yatri Niwas at the Baltal base camp. Created under the ONGC's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, the complex features a disaster management centre and is currently operational.
Other Yatri Niwas complexes are being developed in Bijbehara, Nunwan (Pahalgam), and Sidhra in Jammu. The sites are being outfitted with dormitories, sewage treatment plants, and other basic infrastructure. Significantly, the Sidhra complex, a green G+5 building with solar power generation facilities, is 8,500 square metres in size and is to be ready by September 2026.
Overall, all these projects will provide pilgrims with safer and more comfortable places to stay, with an area of over 30,955 square metres.
Improved Security After April Terror Attack
The Amarnath Yatra this year is being undertaken with improved security, particularly in the wake of the heinous terror attack on April 22 at Pahalgam, where 26 civilians were slaughtered by Pakistan-supported terrorists after being targeted on their religion.
For the security of the Yatris, 180 more companies of Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed to assist the already deployed units of the Indian Army, BSF, CRPF, SSB, and Jammu and Kashmir Police. The whole road from Jammu to the shrine along with all transit points and base camps is under multilayered security cover.
Local Support and Spiritual Unity
Kashmiri locals have persisted in their long tradition of welcoming the Yatra. In a powerful display of solidarity and sympathy, local residents gave garlands and carried placards to greet the first group of pilgrims at Qazigund—where Yatris find themselves entering the Valley after passing through the Navyug Tunnel—after the shocking attack. This gesture was universally regarded as a spontaneous reaction to the previous attack and an expression of communal harmony.
Details of the Pilgrimage
The 38-day-long Yatra, which started on July 3, will end on August 9, falling on Shravan Purnima and the festival of Raksha Bandhan. The holy Amarnath cave shrine is situated at a height of 3,888 metres in the Kashmir Himalayas.
Pilgrims are able to approach the shrine through two main routes:
Pahalgam Route: It is the classic route of 46 km that runs from Chandanwari, through Sheshnag and Panchtarni. The trek usually takes four days on foot.
Baltal Route: A shorter but more vertical 14 km trek enables pilgrims to undertake the Yatra and return home on the same day.
Helicopter services are not being provided this year because of increased security threats.
The shrine is centered on a naturally occurring ice stalagmite that is said to encapsulate the powers of Lord Shiva. It is believed to be a divine symbol by devotees, which increases and decreases according to the phases of the moon.
It is said that Lord Shiva imparted the secrets of immortality to Goddess Parvati in this very cave. Two pigeons, overhearing the divine conversation, are said to have attained immortality too. Until this day, a couple of pigeons is spotted coming out of the cave at the start of every Yatra season, further contributing to the mystique and religious appeal of the pilgrimage.
The Shri Amarnath Yatra continues to be one of the most revered pilgrimages for Hindu pilgrims, attracting thousands every year in a moving spectacle of devotion, perseverance, and solidarity.
