No yatri leaves for base camps on 3rd day
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Aug 8: The holy mace of Lord Shiva, which has reached base camp of Pahalgam from Dashnami Akhara Srinagar yesterday, will leave for next sojourn on way to cave shrine situated at an altitude of 3880 meters in snow bound Himalayas of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district early tomorrow morning under tight security arrangements.
Led by its sole custodian, Mahant Deependra Giri Ji Maharaj and a group of Sadhus accompanying it, the holy mace will have a night halt at Chandanwari camp tomorrow.
It will leave for Sheshnag next day to reach the cave shrine on Shravan Purnima falling on August 11. With this, the annual 43- day- long pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath Ji will culminate.
After performing darshan and Puja of naturally formed Ice Shivlingam in traditional way, the holy mace will return towards Panchtarni in the evening of the same day.
However, the rush of yatra has completely declined with no pilgrim leaving from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas here towards the holy cave for the third consecutive day today while lowest number of 46 pilgrims performed darshan in cave shrine.
This is the smallest number of yatris performing darshan in the holy cave this year since the 43 day long yatra started on June 30 from twin tracks of Baltal and Chandanwari in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal and South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
With this, the total number of pilgrims performing darshan at holy cave in last 40 days has touched 2,90,587.
It may be recalled that Shri Amarnath yatra remained suspended for two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021 owing to spread of COVID -19 pandemic and no yatri was allowed to visit the holy cave except the Chhari Mubarak was taken by special chopper to cave shrine from Srinagar on the occasion of Shravan Purnima for performing Puja and other religious rituals as per age old traditions during the past two years.
The annual 46 -day long yatra which had started on July 1, was also cancelled on July 31 in 2019 due to the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 A on August 5. The yatra was to culminate on Shravan Purnima falling on August 15 that year. But the Chhari Mubarak was taken later in a special chopper to holy cave to perform darshan.
During the 31 -days of darshan that year, 3,39,687 pilgrims had paid obeisance in the cave shrine and on July 31 that year over 7,900 yatris had visited the holy cave. The authorities suddenly suspended yatra on July 31 to August 4 that year taking the excuse that weather may turn hostile with the result no yatri proceeded to holy cave and the pilgrims who were camping at Jammu had to return to their home States. Later the pilgrimage was automatically cancelled after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.
This year the weather also played a spoil spot with the annual yatra after the cloudburst of July 8 triggering flash flood at Lower cave shrine in which 15 pilgrims lost their lives resulting in suspension of yatra for couple of days from twin tracks.
In addition to 15 pilgrims who lost their lives in flash floods of July 8, about 38 people including 35 pilgrims, two porters and a security forces Jawan lost their lives due to natural death so far.
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