The offline registration for the Amarnath Yatra to be held soon began on Tuesday, with keen pilgrims lining up in long queues outside authorized bank branches, waiting to get a place for the first batch to go to the hallowed shrine.
The 38-day yatra will start on July 3 and will be conducted on two routes: the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route in Anantnag district, South Kashmir, and the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The yatra will end on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.
The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), which is responsible for the yatra, has located 540 bank branches from all over the nation for advance registrations as a complement to the opening of online registration on Monday. The board has also placed age and health conditions, saying that the pilgrims should be between the ages of 13 and 75 years and that women in advanced pregnancy (over six weeks) cannot be registered.
"The advance yatra registration process started early today, with men and women pilgrims coming early to book their places for the annual pilgrimage," an official of Punjab National Bank, Rehari branch, said. "The registration is compulsorily required for all the pilgrims who want to undertake the yatra."
A resident of the district, Ajay Mehra told that he had been to the shrine seven times and was elated with the advance registration that started. The experience was nothing less than sacred, he asserted, urging co-pilgrims to go. "The bliss you shall derive there will be available no where else," he said while pilgrims all around him also chimed out with "Bham Bham Bole."
Sham Lal Dogra, one other devotee standing in line, said that this would be his 45th trip to the shrine. There were many others, both first-time pilgrims as well as long-time visitors, who were equally excited at the prospect. "I have waited for many years, and this time my wish to go to the shrine is finally being fulfilled," stated Asha Devi.
Atika, who is a student in college, told that nearly all members of her family, including her parents, had undertaken the trip to the Amarnath shrine. "This year, it is my turn to make my offering there," she said.
Kusum Gupta, aged 50, only wished to make the pilgrimage and pray at the shrine with her family. Their group has picked the Baltal route for their maiden yatra.
In the previous year, the yatra had witnessed a record figure of 5.12 lakh pilgrims, the maximum after the last decade.
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