Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 26: On 28th day of 40-day long annual pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath Ji shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas, 1643 pilgrims today performed darshan of naturally formed holy Ice Lingam of Lord Shiva, taking total number of yatris, who have paid obeisance at the shrine so far, to 2,48,152.
Meanwhile, ‘Chhari-Sthapana’ ceremony was today performed by chanting Vedic hymn at Shri Amareshwar Temple Akhara Building Budshah Chowk Srinagar this morning by a group of Sadhus led by Mahant Deependra Giri ji.
Puja lasted for about 150 minutes.
Click here to watch video
Chhari-Mubarak (Holy Mace), one depicting Lord Shiva and another Goddess Parvati shall be kept in the Temple at Akhara Building Srinagar for ‘darshan’ till it leaves for main course of pilgrimage on August 2.
Pilgrims and public in general have the privilege to have ‘Darshan’ of Holy Mace kept in Shri Amareshwar Temple Dashnami Akhara Srinagar.
Traditional ‘Chhari-Pujan’ shall be performed tomorrow on the occasion of ‘Nag-Panchami’ (Shravan Shukla Paksha Panchami) at Dashnami Akhara, Srinagar.
‘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 of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra for their food, accommodation and transportation during the annual pilgrimage.
In the morning, a batch of 473 pilgrims today left Jammu for the 3,888-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine of Lord Shiva in South Kashmir Himalayas, amid tight security.
Escorted by CRPF and police personnel, the smallest batch till now, comprising 327 males, 46 females along with 100 sadhus and sadhvis left in a convoy of 14 vehicles for Baltal and Pahalgam base-camps of the shrine this morning, officials said.
With today’s batch, 67,307 pilgrims have left Jammu for Amarnath in 26 batches since the yatra began from here on June 28.
The number of pilgrims this year has crossed last year’s figures. As many as 2,48, 152 pilgrims have visited the cave shrine till this evening, a senior official said.
This year’s yatra will be eight days shorter than last year’s 48 days and will conclude on Shravan Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) on August 7.
Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder Valley, Amarnath shrine is 46 km from Pahalgam and 14 km from Baltal.
Meanwhile, three Amarnath pilgrims were today injured after a boulder rolled down a hill and fell on a bus carrying devotees on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district, police said.
A boulder slid down a hill and hit a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims at the Nachlana belt on the highway in Ramban district. The devotees were returning after paying obeisance at the cave shrine, a police official said.
Three pilgrims, identified as Ajay Dubey and Chander Kishore of Uttar Pradesh — and Pradeep Kumar of Bihar, were injured in the incident and were hospitalised.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
