Over 12,000 pilgrims perform Yatra; third batch of over 4,800 leaves for Valley

Srinagar, July 4 (IANS) Over 12,000 Yatris had ‘Darshan’ inside the Amarnath cave shrine on the first day of the 57-day-long Yatra on Friday, as another batch of over 4,800 pilgrims left Jammu for the Valley on Saturday.

Officials said 12,340 Yatris from across the country paid obeisance at the holy cave on Friday. As the Yatris reached holy cave from twin base camps of Baltal and Nunwan, the chants of “Bam Bam Bhole”, “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Barfani Baba” rent the air.

The weather in the holy cave area was partially cloudy and it drizzled for some time early in the morning but the Yatra continued smoothly.

The Yatris after performing darshan started their return journey towards their respective base camps. The rush continued for the entire day and during the morning it was slow, but the number of pilgrims swelled after the afternoon and continued up to late in the evening.

Third batch of over 4,800 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu on Saturday for the twin base camps of Nunwan and Baltal under tight security early in the morning in two escorted convoys.

Authorities have put in place multi-layered security arrangements along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and twin tracks of Baltal and Pahalgam as well as the holy cave for a safe and smooth pilgrimage.

A multi-tier security set up has been activated in and around Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas and at Tawi riverfront where the Tatkal registration of pilgrims and token distribution is underway.

While the Yatris are all praise for Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and UT administration for the arrangements, however, some pilgrims suggested that the number of Tatkal registration counters be increased to tackle the heavy rush of pilgrims reaching here daily from different parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the UT administration has issued an advisory today asking Amarnath pilgrims to travel only on the registered date. It said no pilgrim would be permitted to undertake the Amarnath Yatra to the holy cave shrine before the registered date, and appealed to people to wait for their turn and travel only on the date assigned to them.

The administration said that as directed by the Supreme Court, the maximum number of pilgrims permitted daily on the pilgrimage route has been fixed.

“Compliance with this daily ceiling limit is mandatory for the safety of pilgrims and for the smooth conduct of the Yatra,” it said.

For pilgrims’ convenience, advance registration was made available well before the start of the Yatra through bank branches across the country and online channels.

Most pilgrims have already taken advantage of this facility and completed their registrations in advance, it said.

Therefore, Tatkal (on-spot) registration slots are extremely limited. All pilgrims are requested to reach Jammu and Kashmir only after completing their advance registration.

The advisory said it is not possible to accommodate thousands of pilgrims arriving in Jammu and Kashmir without registration, under the Tatkal facility. “Such pilgrims are requested to wait for their turn and travel only on the date assigned by the administration,” it said.

The advisory stated that it has been observed that many registered pilgrims are arriving in Jammu and Kashmir before their registered travel date.

“No pilgrim will be permitted to travel before their registered date. Please travel only on your registered date. Pilgrims who have arrived in Jammu and Kashmir without registration are again requested to wait for their turn,” it added.

Assuring that every pilgrim will get an opportunity to undertake the Yatra, it stressed that this would be possible only according to the prescribed procedure and available capacity.

“You are requested to maintain order and cooperate with the administration to ensure everyone’s safety,” the advisory read.

SAJY-2026 will conclude on August 28 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals.

–IANS

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