 "More than 145,000 pilgrims offered prayers at the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine in J&K's Anantnag district as of Friday evening | File: PTI")
As of Friday evening, over 145,000 pilgrims offered prayers at the sacred 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu & Kashmir’s (J&K) Anantnag district, following the flagging off of the much-awaited annual Amarnath Yatra on July 3.
Over 400,000 online registrations for this year’s pilgrimage notwithstanding, concerns over extreme weather, security, and logistical changes are dampening the spirits of tour operators and hospitality businesses. The melting of the Shivling within days of the start of the Yatra has raised fears of a sharp drop in footfall in the coming weeks.
According to tour operators, the Shivling had significantly receded by July 7. This year alone, Kashmir experienced its hottest June in 50 years, and on July 5, Srinagar recorded a scorching 37.4° Celscius, the highest since 1953.
The 38-day Yatra is officially set to conclude on August 9, but many fear it may end earlier due to the rapid melting of the ice Shivling.
The lingering impact of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives, continues to cast a shadow. Further complicating the pilgrimage is a government directive that has designated all Yatra routes as a ‘no-fly zone’, leading to the suspension of helicopter services to the shrine. This decision has directly affected hundreds of bookings. “Almost 60 per cent of our total bookings were for the helicopter journey. All were cancelled after the no-fly declaration,” said Jatin Nagar from Wonder World Yatra. “Now we have just about 20 bookings, all on ponies.”
“We had to reduce the cost of our tour packages by 6-7 per cent to encourage people to come to the Yatra, but the helicopter services being discontinued was a big blow,” Nagar added.
The highest-ever troop deployment — 581 companies of Central Armed Police Forces — along with anti-drone and air defence systems have been mobilised to ensure security throughout the route.
Pilgrims are now reaching the shrine either on foot or via ponies and palanquins, using the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route or the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal track. The majority have preferred the longer Pahalgam route.
On Thursday morning, over 6,400 pilgrims in the tenth batch departed under multi-tier security, escorted by the CRPF and J&K Police.
Despite the challenges, optimism persists.
“The sentiment is a mix of optimism and caution. With over 400,000 registrations already in and an expected footfall of around 500,000, the faith and enthusiasm of devotees remains strong. Despite a shorter Yatra window, bookings have been picking up steadily, and we’ve seen hotel occupancy rise from 19-20 per cent in early June to nearly 40 per cent as the Yatra starts,” said Rikant Pittie, co-founder and chief executive officer at the platform.
However, at Shrine Yatra, another agency, which had organised over 200 trips to the cave temple last year, all 150 helicopter bookings they had received were cancelled due to services being disrupted.
“We also did not have any traveller on the pony, because it needs a separate registration, which many people didn’t have as they were banking on the helicopter services,” said Raunak Chauhan, managing director, Shrine Yatra.
The early melting of the Shivling has historically influenced turnout. In 2022, it lasted only 28 days, while in 2023, it survived 47 days. This year, it melted in just about a week.
“Only staunch devotees are coming now,” said Riyaz Ahmed of Ponypalki, a pony rental service. “We’ve taken around 200 pilgrims on ponies, 120 in palanquins, and 850 on foot. But the numbers are lower than last year. Even ponywallahs from nearby villages didn’t show up.”
In previous years, the Yatra spanned 62 days (2023) and 52 days (2024). This year’s 38-day schedule makes it one of the shortest in recent history.
The Amarnath Shrine Board had received 9,000 registrations in the first ten days of the advance registrations opening on April 14, sources in the Board told Business Standard earlier. Pilgrim numbers to the temple have risen steadily over the years.
According to the tourism department of J&K, as stated in the Economic Survey of the Union Territory (UT), the region saw 510,000 lakh devotees on the Amarnath Yatra in 2024 – an all-time high of ten years. In 2023, 445,000 lakh devotees visited the temple.
Ever since the April 22 terror attack, the UT's tourism industry has taken a hit. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has taken to visit other states, including West Bengal, to assure people to visit J&K in greater numbers.
(With inputs from Archis Mohan)
