Chhari Pujan today, over 400 leave from Jammu
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Aug 1: Shri Amarnath yatra was again suspended from both Baltal and Nunwan -Pahalgam tracks today due to inclement weather and heavy downpour during the entire day and no yatri was allowed to proceed further from the base and other camps to holy cave.
However, 117 pilgrims performed the darshan at holy cave who either went through chopper or were having night halt near cave shrine, officials said.
They said no pilgrim was allowed to proceed from Nunwan -Pahalgam base camp in South Kashmir and halting points of Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarni. It continuously rained in the yatra areas for entire day making the road condition slippery and risky.
The officials said that authorities did not want to take any risk to put the lives of pilgrims in danger hence the yatra was suspended for the entire day. The yatra will be resumed tomorrow from both the tracks provided the weather improves, the officials said.
Kashmir weather, an independent weather observatory, forecast possibility of rain showers till afternoon and improvement afterwards. So far more than 2, 81,134 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the cave shrine till Sunday evening since the pilgrimage commenced on June 30. With 117 pilgrims performing darshan today this number has increased to 2,81,251.
Officials said that the rush of the pilgrims has considerably decreased from last some days as few hundred pilgrims are now staying at base camps. There is no usual hustle and bustle or rush at the twin base and other camps enroute to holy cave, officials added.
Meanwhile, a fresh batch of 485 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas here for the twin base camps of Nunwan -Pahalgam in South Kashmir district of Anantnag and Baltal in Central Kashmir district of Ganderbal under tight security arrangements in a cavalcade of 21 vehicles early this morning.
Among them 294 pilgrims preferred the traditional 48 kilometre long Nunwan-Chandanwari track while 164 opted for the shortest 14 kilometre Baltal -Domel route. This is the lowest number of pilgrims leaving from here to holy cave since the first batch of 43 day long yatra was flagged off from here on June 29 by Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha who is also the Chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).
These pilgrims will leave for the holy cave from their respective base camps early tomorrow morning provided the weather improves in cave shrine area.
The 43 -day long yatra will culminate on Shravan Purnima coinciding with Raksha Bandhan festival falling on August 11when the holy mace of Lord Shiva will reach the cave shrine in deep Himalayas of South Kashmir from its abode Dashnami Akhara, Srinagar.
It may be recalled that Chhari Sthapana was held at Amreshwar temple in Dashnami Akhara by Mahant Deependra Giri Ji Maharaj and Sadhus yesterday morning in a traditional way. The Chhari Pujan will be performed tomorrow morning by Mahant Ji,Sadhus and other devotees.
The holy mace will leave for cave shrine from Dashnami Akhara on August 7 and after performing obeisance at various Hindu shrines and temples enroute it will reach Pahalgam the same day. After two days halt at Pahalgam, the holy mace will leave for onwards sojourn on August 9 from Pahalgam.
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