Pilgrims Remain Upbeat To Undertake Amarnath Yatra In Kashmir

The annual Amarnath Yatra officially began on Thursday, July 3, with the first batches of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan towards the cave shrine in South Kashmir, officials said.

The yatra is taking place after over two months since the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 tourists, while several others were injured.

Even though the attack has resulted in a decline in pilgrim numbers this year, long lines of pilgrims were still witnessed outside the transit camp for the Amarnath yatra in Srinagar, a day before the 38-day pilgrimage was scheduled to begin from Kashmir.

On Thursday, the yatra started early morning from the twin tracks- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal route and the chants of 'bum bum bole' filled the air as the batches were flagged off by senior officials from the respective base camps.

For the yatra, heavy security arrangements remain in place. The transit camp was ringed by a large presence of paramilitary and police personnel, while entry inside to meet the officials was allowed through metal detectors.

Jitendar Kumar, 53, is coming to the Amarnath Yatra for the fifth time. He plans to trek up to the cave shrine high in the Himalayas to undertake the pilgrimage. “I want to pay obeisance at the cave shrine of Lord Shiva, I want to feel blessed,” said Jitendar, a Delhi resident.

Jitendar said that he was looking to pay obeisance at the cave shrine in the first few days of the yatra itself.

“It is spiritually more fulfilling to pay obeisance in the first few days. I am looking to undertake the yatra through the Baltal route, which is shorter than the Pahalgam route, and one reaches the shrine within a day. It is such a great feeling,” said Jitendar, who chose to opt for the in-person registration outside the transit camp rather than do it online.

He said that the yatra dates in the online registration were not available immediately, and he could have undertaken the pilgrimage at least fifteen days later. “There were no immediate dates available online, due to which I decided to come to the transit camp myself to register for the yatra,” he said.

Ramesh Sagar, 38, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, said that he was coming for the third time to undertake the yatra. “ I came on my own by road and not with the official convoy, and would go for the yatra through the Baltal route,” he said.

“The attack in Pahalgam in April that resulted in the death of tourists had no impact on my plans as I have done the yatra even previously,” he added.

Akshay Verma, 29, a resident of Jammu, said that he was undertaking the pilgrimage for the second time. “ I have come for the second time to join the spiritual journey to the cave shrine,” he said.

Shreshank Singh, 32, a resident of Nainital, Uttarakhand, said that he was coming for the yatra for the first time. “ I would like to go for the yatra from the Pahalgam route, which is spiritually more significant. It is a divine call that has brought me to Kashmir,” he said.

Sandeep Koul, 44, a Kashmiri Pandit, who migrated to Delhi after the eruption of militancy in Kashmir, said it was for the fourteenth time that he was undertaking the yatra.  “ I am on a religious pilgrimage and after visiting the Amarnath cave shrine, I will also visit the other temples, including Shankaracharya and Kheer Bhawani,” he said.