Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 4: From 1.1 lakh in 2002 to 6.21 lakh in 2012, the pilgrimage to holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath ji, located at a height of 13,500 feet from the sea level in South Kashmir Himalayas, has witnessed a massive increase during past one decade even as it fell short by about 15,000 as compared to last year when highest ever 6.36 lakh yatris had paid obeisance to Lord Shiva.
Statistics of this year’s pilgrimage revealed that majority of pilgrims preferred shorter and tougher Baltal route as compared to traditional and picturesque Pahalgam route. Quite a large number of unregistered pilgrims also managed to undertake yatra to the cave shrine from both the routes this year, just like previous years.
During 2011, 6.36 lakh pilgrims had visited the cave shrine. Though the number of yatris this year was less by 15,000, it was significant in view of the fact that this year’s pilgrimage was just for 39 days as compared to 46 days last year.
“Had the yatra lasted one and a half month this year also, like the previous year, the pilgrimage would have easily surpassed 6.5 lakh and created a new record’’, official sources said, adding more yatris visited the cave shrine this year on per day average.
Out of 6.21 lakh yatris, who paid obeisance to Lord Shiva in South Kashmir Himalayas this year, only 1.81 lakh took traditional but longer Pahalgam track while 3.84 lakh reached the shrine from shorter but tougher Baltal route. About 55,000 yatris visited the shrine by air from both Baltal and Pahalgam routes.
Sources said Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) had registered about 4.5 lakh yatris for this year’s pilgrimage. Rest 1.7 lakh yatris undertook the pilgrimage without registration. They added that though the SASB had made strong arrangements to check unregistered yatris from proceedings to the cave shrine from both the routes, it was impossible to stop the unregistered pilgrims once they managed to reach Baltal and Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camps posing themselves as tourists.
During 2001 when the SASB had taken over affairs of Shri Amarnath Yatra on the recommendations of Nitish Sen Gupta Commission report following loss of several lives in snow storm in 1996 on Pahalgam track, 1,19,037 yatris had visited the shrine. The number went down to 1,10,793 in 2002 but again rose to 1.7 lakh in 2003.
It was in the year 2004 when duration of the yatra was increased to one and a half month that 4 lakh pilgrims reached the shrine braving militant threats and hostile weather conditions. The number was 3.88 lakh in 2005, 3.47 lakh in 2006 and 2.96 lakh in 2007.
At the height of Amarnath land agitation in both parts of the State in 2008 when Jammu region witnessed two months long bandh (during entire yatra period), the pilgrims surpassed all previous records. As many as 5,33,368 yatris had offered prayers to Lord Shiva that year.
The number had again come down to 3.81 lakh in 2009 but rose to 4.55 lakh in 2010 and 6.36 lakh in 2011.
According to sources, the number of pilgrims this year slightly came down after reports spread about large number of deaths on the track. Otherwise, they said, the pilgrimage could have easily crossed 7 lakh this year.
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