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Amarnath Shrine
Authorities have suspended this year's annual Amarnath Yatra, just a week before its scheduled conclusion, due to the need for maintenance on the tracks that were damaged by recent heavy rainfall, officials said on Saturday. The yatra, which began on July 3, was scheduled to conclude on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. However, authorities decided to shorten it by a week, citing "critical repair and maintenance works" to be undertaken in the wake of the heavy rainfall. "Due to recent heavy rainfall and the need for track maintenance along both the Baltal and Pahalgam axes of the Shri Amarnathji Yatra route, the yatra movement has been closed on both the tracks," Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, said here. "It has been observed that due to the continued deployment of men and machinery on the tracks from tomorrow, we would not be able to resume the yatra. The yatra will therefore remain suspended from 3rd August onwards from both the routes," he explain
The Amarnath Yatra from Jammu remained suspended from Jammu for the second consecutive day on Friday due to inclement weather conditions, officials said. No fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to proceed to the Amarnath cave shrine in the South Kashmir Himalayas, they said. The pilgrims who had come from outside for the yatra are housed in the high-security Bhagwati Nagar base camp for their further journey to the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal after reviewing the weather situation. Over 4 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the ice lingam of Lord Shiva at the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine since the 38-day pilgrimage commenced on July 3 from the Valley. "The yatra to the cave shrine from Jammu remained suspended today. It has been done in view of the inclement weather besides precautionary measures. No fresh batch was allowed from Jammu towards Amarnath," Yatra information official said. This is the second time the yatra has been suspended from Jammu. On July 17, the yatra
Braving heavy rain, a fresh batch of more than 3,500 pilgrims left Jammu for the Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas amid tight security in the early hours of Tuesday, officials said. Over 3 lakh pilgrims have visited the 3,880-metre-high shrine of Lord Shiva, which houses a naturally formed ice lingam, since the pilgrimage began on July 3. Escorted by Central Reserve Police Force and police personnel, the 20th batch of 3,536 pilgrims -- 2,601 men, 822 women, 11 children and 102 sadhus and sadhvis -- left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here in 132 vehicles between 3:33 am and 4:09 am, the officials said. The first pilgrim convoy, carrying 1,250 pilgrims in 48 vehicles, left for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The second convoy of 2,286 pilgrims in 84 vehicles undertook the yatra via the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route in Anantnag district, they said. With this, a total of 1,27,541 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base camp for t
The Amarnath Yatra resumed on Friday, a day after it was suspended due to heavy rains across Kashmir, officials said. A fresh batch of pilgrims left for the holy cave shrine from Nunwan and Baltal base camps, they said. The yatra was suspended on Thursday as heavy rains triggered landslides and shooting stones at several places along the treacherous trek. More than 2.50 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas since the yatra began on July 3. The 38-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 9.
The 12th batch of 7,049 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Sunday to pay obeisance at the holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. The pilgrims, including 1,423 women, 31 children and 136 sadhus and sadhvis, left for the twin base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal in separate convoys under tight security arrangements in the early hours of the day, they said. While 4,158 pilgrims are heading for Pahalgam base camp in a convoy of 148 vehicles, 2891 pilgrims on board 138 vehicles have preferred the Baltal route, the officials said. The 38-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine started from the two routes on July 3 and is scheduled to end on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival. Nearly 1.83 lakh pilgrims have so far visited the shrine, which houses a naturally formed Shivlingam.
The 11th batch of 6,639 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Saturday to pay obeisance at the holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. The pilgrims, including 1,462 women, 41 children and 181 sadhus and sadhvis, left for the twin base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal in two separate convoys under tight security arrangements in the early hours of the day, they said. While 4,302 pilgrims are heading for Pahalgam base camp in a convoy of 159 vehicles, 2,337 pilgrims onboard 116 vehicles have preferred the Baltal route, the officials said. The 38-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine started from the two routes on July 3 and is scheduled to end on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival. Over 1.65 lakh pilgrims have so far visited the shrine, which houses a naturally formed Shivlingam.
A fresh batch of over 7,500 pilgrims left here early Tuesday for the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. The 38-day pilgrimage commenced on July 3 from the valley via the twin tracks the traditional 48-km-long Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The yatra will conclude on August 9. Over 94,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine since the start of the yatra, they said. The seventh batch of 7,541 pilgrims, including 5,516 men and 1,765 women, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here in 309 vehicles for the twin base camps in Kashmir amid tight security arrangements between 2.55 am and 4.05 am, the officials said. The first pilgrim convoy, carrying 3,321 pilgrims in 148 vehicles, left for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district, followed by the second convoy of 4,220 pilgrims in 161 vehicles who are undertaking the yatra via the
Amid incessant rains, a fresh batch of over 7,200 pilgrims left the base camp here early Sunday for the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. The 38-day annual pilgrimage, which started on July 3, crossed the 50,000 mark on Sunday. The fifth batch of 7,208 pilgrims, including 1,587 women and 30 children, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in two separate convoys amid tight security arrangements between 3.35 am and 4.15 am, the officials said. This was the largest batch of pilgrims since Wednesday, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the yatra from here. With this, a total of 31,736 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the valley. The first pilgrim convoy carrying 3,199 pilgrims in 147 vehicles left for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district followed by second convoy of 4,009 pilgrims in 160 vehicles who are undertaking the yatra from the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district, the officials said. The
At least six Amarnath pilgrims suffered minor injuries in an accident involving three buses in Ramban district on Saturday, officials said. The buses were part of a convoy headed for Pahalgam base camp in south Kashmir from Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar. The accident took place near Chanderkoot, along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, officials said. They said the accident occurred due to failure of the brakes of one of the buses which then hit two other vehicles. The injured were immediately given medical aid. The convoy left for its destination after the damaged buses were replaced, officials said. The fourth batch of 6,979 pilgrims -- 5,196 men, 1,427 women, 24 children, 331 sadhus and sadhvis and one transgender -- left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in two separate convoys between 3.30 am and 4.05 am. While 4,226 pilgrims left in 161 vehicles for Nunwan base camp for the 48-kilometre traditional Pahalgam route, 2,753 pilgrims were headed for the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre B
Braving heavy rain, a fresh batch of over 6,900 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Saturday to pay a visit to the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. About 30,000 pilgrims have prayed at the 3,880 metre-high cave shrine since July 3 when the 38-day annual yatra commenced from the twin tracks in Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district. The fourth batch of 6,979 pilgrims -- 5,196 men, 1,427 women, 24 children, 331 sadhus and sadhvis and one transgender -- left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in two separate convoys between 3.30 am and 4.05 am amid tight security, officials said. While 4,226 pilgrims left in 161 vehicles for Nunwan base camp for the 48-kilometre traditional Pahalgam route, 2,753 pilgrims were headed for the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal route in 151 vehicles, they said. With the fresh departure, a total of 24,528 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Valley since Wednesday, when Lieutenant
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday flagged off the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims numbering over 5,880 amid multi-tier security cover, marking the beginning of this year's pilgrimage from here. The 38-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high shrine will commence on July 3 from the Valley via the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district. A batch of 5,892 pilgrims, including 1,115 women, 31 children and 16 transgenders left the base camp in the first batch at 4.30 am to join the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, officials said. The yatra will conclude on August 9. More than 3.31 lakh devotees have registered so far for this year's Amarnath Yatra, officials said. The L-G performed pooja soon after his arrival at the high-security Bhagwati Nagar base camp and later flagged off the yatra for the twin base camps in Kashmir, officials said. Sinha was flanked
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday said bids have been invited for preparing detailed project reports (DPRs) for development of three ropeways, including 11.60 kms Baltal to 3,880 meter high holy cave shrine of Amarnath, to facilitate the easy movement of pilgrims during the annual pilgrimage. In addition, bids for preparation of DPRs are also being invited by the National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML) for three more ropeway projects -- two in Budgam and one in Ramban district, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a written reply in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Abdullah, who is also minister in-charge tourism, gave the information in response to unstarred question by National Conference legislator Sajjad Shaheen, who referred to the March 15, 2022 decision of the lieutenant governor led administrative council and subsequent government order dated September 6, 2023 about the development of ropeway projects through the NHLML under Parvatmala initiative. a list
The pilgrimage to holy shrine of Amarnath was successfully completed and a record number of more than 5.12 lakh pilgrims visited it, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday. The pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine, located at a height of 3,880 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas, started on June 29 and ended on August 19. "The holy pilgrimage of Shri Amarnathji was successfully completed. This year, the holy pilgrimage lasted for 52 days, a record number of more than 5.12 lakh pilgrims visited Baba, which is the highest number in the last 12 years," Shah wrote on 'X' in Hindi. Congratulating all security personnel, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, the Jammu and Kashmir administration and voluntary organisations for making the pilgrimage a success, the home minister said, "All of you have made a unique contribution in making the pilgrimage of the pilgrims safe and smooth. May Baba keep his blessings on everyone. Jai Baba Barfani!". The Amarnath pilgrims travel through two route
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Monday announced significant improvements in telecom infrastructure for Amarnath Yatra to ensure seamless mobile connectivity for pilgrims. In collaboration with major telecom operators, including Airtel, BSNL, and Reliance Jio, the infrastructure has been upgraded to provide continuous coverage along the yatra routes, according to an official release. To ensure seamless mobile connectivity, a total of 82 sites (Airtel, RJIL and BSNL) will be active, an official release said. "A total of 31 new sites have been installed along the Yatra routes, increasing the total number from 51 in 2023 to 82 in 2024. This enhancement aims to provide seamless mobile connectivity to the pilgrims and public," it said. The routes from Lakhanpur to Qazigund and from Qazigund to Pahalgam and Baltal are fully covered with 2G, 3G, 4G, including 5G technology, at many places for pilgrims and the public. Further, some key points of SIM distribution centres have