The News Craving
Srinagar:
The Amarnath Yatra has seen an unprecedented turnout this year, with over 1.30 lakh pilgrims participating in just six days, breaking all previous records. As of yesterday evening, more than 24,000 pilgrims had paid obeisance at the naturally formed Ice Shivlingam at the Himalayan cave in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
A fresh batch of 6,919 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas base camp in Jammu early this morning, heading towards the twin base camps of Baltal in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag district under tight security.
Officials reported to Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that on the sixth day alone, 24,978 pilgrims visited the holy cave of Swami Amarnath Ji. This brings the total number of pilgrims visiting the 3,888-meter-high cave shrine to 1,30,260, surpassing all previous records.
The pilgrims included 16,667 males, 5,367 females, 354 children, 520 Sadhus, two Sadhvis, and seven others, in addition to 2,061 security personnel and service providers. For comparison, in 2023, the yatra crossed the one-lakh mark on the 10th day, while in 2022 it took nine days.
The latest batch of pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp chanting ‘Bam Bam Bhole,’ traveling in a convoy of 259 vehicles. This group comprised 5,241 men, 1,435 women, 16 children, 214 Sadhus, and 13 Sadhvis. Of these, 2,542 pilgrims headed for Baltal, while 4,377 departed for the Pahalgam base camp to continue their journey to the holy cave.
Stringent security measures have been implemented to ensure the smooth conduct of the yatra. Thousands of security personnel from the police, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, and other paramilitary forces have been deployed along the route, with the army overseeing overall security and the air force providing aerial surveillance.
Additionally, over 125 free langars have been established by philanthropic organizations at base camps and along the yatra route to serve the pilgrims.
The 52-day-long Amarnath Ji Yatra will conclude on August 19, coinciding with the auspicious occasion of Shravan Poornima and the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
