Explore Business Standard
Amarnath Yatra
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
The Amarnath Yatra resumed from the Baltal axis on Thursday, a day after it was suspended due to heavy rains, officials said. However, the yatra remains suspended from the Pahalgam axis as urgent maintenance and repair works have to be carried out on the route, they said. Torrential rains in Kashmir had rendered the roads unsafe, following which the pilgrimage was suspended on both the Baltal and Pahalgam routes on Wednesday. "The yatra resumed this morning from the Baltal route," said an official, adding, "In view of maintenance works required to be carried out on the Pahalgam axis of Amarnath Yatra route following the recent rains, the yatra shall continue only through Baltal axis." The official said that no convoy movement would be allowed towards the Baltal and Nunwan base camps from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Thursday. So far, more than 3.93 lakh yatris have paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine this year. The annual yatra that began on July 3 will culminate of Au
Authorities on Wednesday suspended the Amarnath Yatra on both Pahalgam and Baltal routes due to heavy rains in Kashmir, a senior official said. The yatra will remain suspended from Jammu too on Thursday due to the inclement weather conditions. "Shri Amarnathji Yatra has been suspended for 30.07.2025 from both Pahalgam and Baltal base camps," Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Jammu and Kashmir, posted on its X handle. It said Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said that due to heavy rains since early morning on Wednesday, the yatra has not been allowed on the tracks from Baltal and Nunwan/Chandanwari base camps. "Due to the heavy rains in the yatra area, the movement of pilgrims from base camps has been affected. Therefore, it has been decided that no convoy movement shall be allowed towards the base camps Baltal and Nunwan from Bhagwati Nagar Jammu on July 31, 2025," the DIPR said. Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Ramesh Kumar said, "In view
The 27th batch of 1490 pilgrims left Jammu on Monday for the twin base camps of 3, 880-meter-high cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas amid tight security arrangements. More than 3.86 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at 'ice lingum' of Lord Shiva at the cave shrine since the 38-day pilgrimage commenced on July 3 from the valley. The 27th batch of pilgrims, which included 1,262 men, 186 women, 42 sadhus and sadhvis, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here in 61 vehicles for the twin base camps in Kashmir between 3:25 am and 3.57 am escorted by CRPF and police personnel, officials said. The first pilgrim convoy, carrying 327 pilgrims in 16 vehicles, left for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in the Ganderbal district, followed by the second convoy of 1,163 pilgrims in 45 vehicles, who are undertaking the yatra via the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route in the Anantnag district, they said. With this, a total of 14,27,85 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base ca
A fresh batch of 3,500 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Thursday to offer prayers at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the Anantnag district, officials said. The 22nd batch of pilgrims, comprising 2,704 men, 675 women, 12 children and 109 sadhus and sadhvis, left the base camp in two convoys of 140 vehicles for Pahalgam and Baltal under tight security. While 2,668 pilgrims left for Pahalgam in a convoy of 95 vehicles, 832 pilgrims left in a convoy of 45 vehicles via the Baltal route. With this, 1,33,878 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base camp for Kashmir since July 2, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch. Since the 38-day annual Amarnath Yatra commenced on July 3, over 3.40 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high shrine housing a naturally formed ice shivlingam. Last year, over 5.10 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine. The pilgrimage will conclude on August 9, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.
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
A fresh batch of over 3,700 pilgrims left Jammu on Monday for the twin base camps of the cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas amid tight security arrangements, officials said. So far, over 3 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the ice lingam of Lord Shiva at the 3,880-metre-high shrine since the yatra began on July 3. Escorted by CRPF and police personnel, the batch of 3,791 pilgrims -- 3,067 men, 522 women, nine children, 192 sadhus and sadhvis, and a transgender -- left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here in 148 vehicles between 3.33 am and 4.06 am, they said. The first pilgrim convoy, carrying 1,208 pilgrims in 52 vehicles, left for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district, followed by the second convoy of 2,583 pilgrims in 96 vehicles, who are undertaking the yatra via the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district, they said. According to data, the number of pilgrims undertaking the yatra has been declining over the last few
The 20th batch of 4,388 pilgrims, including 900 women, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Sunday to offer prayers at the 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. The 38-day annual yatra commenced on July 3 from the twin routes of Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal. So far, more than 2.90 lakh pilgrims have paid their obeisance at the shrine, housing the naturally formed ice-shivlingam, they said. According to officials, the yatra is going on smoothly on both routes, and the number of pilgrims is likely to cross the 3 lakh-mark later in the day. The fresh batch of pilgrims, which included 130 sadhus and sadhvis, left the base camp in separate convoys for Pahalgam and Baltal under tight security arrangements, they said. While 2,815 pilgrims left for Pahalgam in a convoy of 115 vehicles, 1,573 pilgrims onboard 95 vehicles preferred the Baltal route, officials said. The pilgrimage is scheduled to end on August 9,
After a day-long suspension due to heavy rains and landslides in Kashmir, the Amarnath Yatra resumed on Friday with a fresh batch of over 7,900 pilgrims leaving Jammu for the twin base camps of the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas. The Yatra also resumed from the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal in Kashmir, officials said. Escorted by CRPF and police personnel, the 16th batch of 7,908 pilgrims including 5,957 men, 1,613 women, 26 children and 310 sadhus and sadhvis left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here in 261 vehicles for the twin base camps between 3:30 am and 4:25 am, the officials said. The first pilgrim convoy, carrying 2,879 pilgrims in 92 vehicles, left for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district, followed by the second convoy of 5,029 pilgrims in 169 vehicles, who are undertaking the Yatra via the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district, they said. With this, a total of 1,09,461 pilgrims have departed
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 Amarnath Yatra was suspended from here on Thursday following a weather advisory warning of heavy rain in many parts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. This comes a day after a woman pilgrim died and three sustained injuries in a landslide along the Baltal route of the yatra in Ganderbal district. "The yatra has been suspended for today. No fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to move from Jammu towards the twin base camps of the holy cave shrine this morning," an official told PTI. He said the step was taken in view of a two-day weather advisory which warned of heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir, including on the yatra routes in Kashmir. This is the first time the yatra has been suspended from Jammu this year. More than 2.35 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high shrine since the yatra began on July 3. A total of 1,01,553 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base camp for the valley since July 2, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first .
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.
More than 6,400 pilgrims, accompanied by a multi-tier security escort, left for the twin base camps of the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas on Thursday, officials said. Over 1.30 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine since the start of the 38-day annual yatra through the twin tracks of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on July 3. Escorted by CRPF and police personnel, the 10th batch of 6,482 pilgrims, including 4,838 men, 1,387 women, 16 children, and 241 monks, left the Bhagwati Nagar camp here in 268 vehicles between 3:20 am and 4:04 am. Officials said the first convoy, carrying 2,353 pilgrims in 107 vehicles, left for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The second convoy of 161 vehicles is carrying 4,129 pilgrims who are undertaking the journey via the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district. With this, a total of 69,270 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu