Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: As a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the Yatris, authorities on July 17 did not allow any movement of pilgrims from Jammu to Kashmir and also from the two base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam towards the cave shrine.
Officials said, “Due to adverse weather advisory predicting heavy rain along the Yatra route from Jammu to the Valley and also from the twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam to the holy cave shrine, no movement of Yatris will be allowed today from Jammu to Srinagar or from the two base camps towards the holy cave shrine”.
The Meteorological (MeT) department has forecast widespread light to moderate rain in Kashmir and heavy to very heavy rain in the Jammu division during the next 24 hours. Officials said since the Yatra started this year on July 3, in the last 14 days, over 2.37 lakh Yatris had ‘darshan’ inside the cave shrine.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that, given the response and the enthusiasm of the pilgrims, this year’s Amarnath Yatra is likely to cross the 3.50 lakh figure expected so far. Bhumi Pujan of ‘Chhari Mubarak’ (Lord Shiva’s Holy Mace) was performed at Pahalgam on July 10. The Chhari Mubarak was taken to Pahalgam by a group of seers led by the sole custodian of the Chhari Mubarak, Mahant Swami Deependra Giri, from its seat at the Dashnami Akhara Building in Srinagar to Pahalgam.
Chhari Mubarak was then taken back to its seat at the Dashnami Akhara building in Srinagar. It will be taken to the holy cave shrine on August 4 and will reach there on August 9, when the Yatra will officially conclude.
