Chhari Sthapana held at Amareshwar temple
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, July 27: In connection with annual pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath Ji, Chhari-Sthapana ceremony was performed at Shri Amareshwar Temple located in the Mahadev Gir Dashnami Akhara Trust’s building at Budshah Chowk Srinagar with chanting of Vedic hymn this morning by a group of Sadhus led by Mahant Deependra Giri Ji, the custodian of holy mace while on the 25th day of annual pilgrimage 8405 yatris drawn from different parts of the country paid obeisance at Himalayan cave in South Kashmir district of Anantnag today.
With this, the total number of pilgrims visiting the holy cave during last 25 days from twin tracks of Baltal and Nunwan-Pahalgam has touched 3,77,080, officials said.
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They said among today’s 8405 pilgrims included 6198 male, 1483 female, 90 children, 66 Sadhus, three Sadhvis, and 565 security personnel. All the pilgrims after performing the darshan at cave shrine started their return journey towards Domail and Panchtarni.
Meanwhile, large number of devotes participated in Chhari Sthapna ceremony at Dashnami Akhaara today that lasted two hours.
Mahant Deependra Giri while talking to reporters said Chhari-Mubarak (holy mace), one depicting Lord Shiva and another Goddess Parvati shall be kept in the temple at Dashnami Akhara Building Srinagar for ‘Darshan’ till it leaves for the main course of pilgrimage on August 4.
Pilgrims and public in general shall have the privilege to have ‘Darshan’ of holy mace kept in Shri Amareshwar Temple, Dashnami Akhara Srinagar from 11 am to 1 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm daily, he added.
He said traditional ‘Chhari-Pujan’ shall be performed on Tuesday August 29 on the occasion of ‘Nag-Panchami’ (Shravan Shukla Paksha Panchami) at Dashnami Akhara, Srinagar.
Chhari-Mubarak will leave on August 4 from Dashnami Akhara Srinagar for holy shrine of Shri Amarnath Ji situated at an altitude of 13500 feet in South Kashmir. The traditional Pujan and rituals will be performed on the auspicious occasion of ‘Shravan-Purnima’ that falls on August 9, this year, he added.
‘The True Trust’, founded by Mahant Deependra Giri Ji in year 2004, has made all the necessary arrangements like yester years for Sadhus and needy from the general public coming from across the country to join Chhari-Mubarak Swami Amarnath Ji Yatra for their food, tented accommodation and transportation during the annual pilgrimage.
Mahant Ji said that enroute to holy cave the Chhari Mubarak will pay obeisance at various temples upto Pahalgam on August 4. The holy mace will have two nights halt at Pahalgam and on August 6 it will leave from Pahalgam to Chandanwari, he added.
Meanwhile, 25th batch of 2,197 pilgrims, including 365 women, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Sunday to pay obeisance at the holy Amarnath cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
The pilgrims, including 49 Sadhus and 10 Sadhvis, left for the twin base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal in separate convoys under tight security arrangements in the early hours of the day, they said.
While 1,624 pilgrims are heading for Pahalgam base camp in a convoy of 62 vehicles, 573 pilgrims onboard 38 vehicles have preferred the Baltal route, officials said.
The 38-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine started from the two routes on July 3 and is scheduled to end on August 9, after holy mace reaches the cave shrine.
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