LG flags off Ist batch, says it feels like big festival in City
Enthusiastic pilgrims say not worried about any terror threat
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 2: Annual pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath Ji got to an impressive start today with 5892 devotees embarking on the sacred journey in official convoy flagged off from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in the City early this morning by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. After receiving warm welcome at several places enroute, the pilgrims tonight reached base camps of Baltal in Ganderbal district and Nunwan, Pahalgam in Anantnag district from where they will leave for the cave shrine early tomorrow morning.
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A number of pilgrims have directly reached Nunwan and Baltal base camps and they will also become part of first batch which will leave for the cave shrine situated at 12,756 feet from sea level in South Kashmir Himalayas early tomorrow morning.
Tonight, 10326 pilgrims were camping at Baltal and 3094 were putting up at Numwan. Besides, 348 devotees were staying at Pantha Chowk, Srinagar and 1667 at Chanderkote.
The pilgrims undertaking journey from tough Baltal track, which is only 14 kilometers will have darshan of holy Ice Lingam of Lord Shiva in Shri Amarnath Shrine tomorrow and will be back by the evening while those embarking on pilgrimage from Nunwan track which is nearly 48 kilometers will have to trek for two days to reach the cave.
And, there was no let up in arrival of pilgrims to Bhagwati Nagar base camp from different parts of the country. Vehicles carrying pilgrims regularly crossed Lakhanpur, gateway to Jammu and Kashmir and Samba before entering Jammu.
Besides adequate security arrangements, all other requisite facilities have been made by the administration at Bhagwati Nagar base camp. On spot registration is also being done at three places in the city for unregistered pilgrims to ensure that no person intending to undertake yatra is left out in the absence of registration.
More than 3.31 lakh devotees have registered so far for this year’s Amarnath yatra. Annual pilgrimage will last 38 days and conclude on August 9 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
At 4 AM today, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims numbering 5892, amid multi-tier security cover.
The batch comprised 1,115 women, 31 children and 16 transgenders.
The LG performed pooja soon after his arrival at the high-security Bhagwati Nagar base camp and later flagged off the yatra. He was flanked by local MLAs, top officials and heads of various religious organizations during the flagging-off ceremony.
“I have flagged off the first batch of pilgrims of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra from Bhagwati Nagar base camp. Wishing all spiritual seekers a safe and comfortable journey to the holy abode of Lord Shiva for a deeply soul-stirring experience. Prayed to Baba Amarnath for peace and blessings to all,” Sinha said.
“The devotees from all over the country are here. It feels like there is a big festival in Jammu city. The enthusiasm is very high. The devotees of Bholenath have defied all terror threats and are coming here in large numbers for darshan of Bholenath,” Sinha added.
On security, he said the yatra is being monitored 24×7 from the Integrated Command and Control Centre at Raj Bhawan and the Police Control Room, while an RFID-based tracking system has also been put in place.
He said a 100-bed hospital has been constructed by ONGC at both the Chandanwari and Baltal Yatra base camps.
He added that a Board office and Yatri Niwas have been inaugurated in Srinagar.
“We will also be inaugurating such a facility in Baltal on July 4,” he said.
“The facilities for devotees coming for the Amarnath yatra have improved since 2022. Twin routes leading to the cave shrine of Amarnath used to be six feet wide, which are now 12 feet wide,” he said.
There have been no signs of worries among the pilgrims in the wake of April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 pilgrims including 25 tourists and a local were killed with pilgrims entering Jammu City in large numbers. While most of pilgrims are staying at Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas, others have booked accommodation in hotels. Some others are proceeding directly to Nunwan and Baltal base camps.
Amid chants of “Bum Bum Bhole” and “Har Har Mahadev”, enthusiastic pilgrims braved early morning rains as they left in a convoy of vehicles for Amarnath from Jammu, which was transformed into a city of divinity.
Pilgrims could be seen moving in different parts of the City taking advantage of time to visit Ragunath, Ranbireshwar temples and Bahu Fort temples besides other religious places. Long queues were also seen outside three designated centres for on spot registration for the pilgrims who reached here unregistered.
The pilgrims said the increasing number of devotees thronging the yatra will send a befitting reply to terrorists and Pakistan — that they do not fear them.
Radheyshyam Tiwari, a yatri from Lucknow in Uttar Pardesh who left in the first batch from Jammu, said, “No matter how many attacks happen or how many bombs are hurled, devotees will not be deterred. We are not scared. Pilgrims will definitely come for darshan. I want to tell the nation that there is no need to be afraid. The large number of pilgrims is a befitting reply to them.”
Radhika Patel, a teenage pilgrim from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, said they had planned to be part of the first batch and today it became a reality.
“We are happy to get darshan of Bholenath in the first batch. We are not scared because we know the security would be adequate. The arrangements are very good — food, accommodation, sanitation, and all facilities,” she said.
Another devotee, Ramesh Chander, who has been travelling to Amarnath for the past nine years, praised the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board and the administration for making the best possible arrangements.
“These are the best arrangements. We pray that everybody gets darshan in peace. There is nothing to fear. The Army and other security forces are here to guard the yatra.”
The pilgrimage began from Jammu as a convoy ferried devotees to the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal amid heavy security escort, traffic restrictions, and area domination along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, officials said.
Traffic restrictions will be imposed on various routes from July 2 to August 9, and daily advisories will be issued to minimise inconvenience, a traffic officer said, adding that cut-off timings have been fixed for each sector on the highway, which is monitored through CCTV surveillance.
Jammu has come under a security blanket with enhanced measures, including a multi-layered security grid and the use of technology for surveillance.
Officials said that no drones or any other flying objects will be permitted along the yatra route without prior permission from the concerned Deputy Commissioner.
“All aerial activities in the area are prohibited to maintain tight security. Anyone violating this rule will face strict action,” they warned.
Local authorities gave a warm welcome to the first batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims at several places in Kashmir, as hundreds of them turned up in the Valley Wednesday.
Upon their arrival in the Kashmir valley, the pilgrims’ convoys received a rousing welcome from the administration, and the locals, in Kulgam, Anantnag and Srinagar districts.
The pilgrims reached the valley through the Navyug tunnel in Qazigund area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, where they were welcomed by the South Kashmir Range Deputy Inspector general of police and Kulgam Deputy Commissioner.
The convoys left separately for the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps, from where they will leave for the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine early tomorrow.
The pilgrims were also hailed at Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, and Nowgam area of the city, while they were on their way to the base camps.
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