Amarnath Yatra resumes on Pahalgam route after three days
New Delhi : The annual Amarnath Yatra, a Hindu pilgrimage to the sacred Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, has resumed on the Pahalgam route following an improvement in weather conditions, according to officials.
However, the Yatra on the Baltal route is yet to resume. The pilgrimage was temporarily halted on Friday due to unfavorable weather conditions in the region.
Authorities had to halt a group of devotees at the Jammu Base camp due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which disrupted their journey. As a result, approximately 6,000 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims found themselves stranded in Ramban, as confirmed by officials.
Among those affected were 80 individuals from Karnataka who were trapped in Panchtarni, a location six kilometers away from the Amarnath cave. The Karnataka government expressed concerns about their well-being due to the adverse weather conditions.
Mussarat Islam, the Deputy Commissioner of Ramban, assured the public that the administration is taking all necessary steps to ensure the comfort and safety of the pilgrims. He stated, "The Amarnath Yatra was suspended yesterday following inclement weather... We have all the facilities available here at the 'yatri niwas' for the pilgrims. We are taking all possible steps to ensure that the pilgrims don't face any problems."
The closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH44) at Ramban due to a landslide further exacerbated the situation.
Since the beginning of the Yatra on July 1, a total of 67,566 pilgrims have visited the Amarnath cave shrine. On July 5, approximately 18,354 pilgrims, including males, females, children, sadhus, and sadhvis, performed the darshan (religious ritual) at the shrine from both the Baltal base camp and Nunwan base camp, as stated in an official statement earlier this week.
The statement also mentioned, "The total number of yatris who performed Darshan since the beginning is 67,566. More yatris will visit the shrine in the coming days."
The Shri Amarnath Yatra, spanning 62 days, will conclude on August 31, 2023.
