The annual Amarnath Yatra to the south Kashmir Himalayas began on Friday with the first batch of pilgrims setting off for the holy cave shrine amidst chants of religious hymns following authorities announcing a cap on the number of devotees paying obeisance each day.
Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries greeted devotees on the commencement of the 57-day Amarnath Yatra.
The first batch of pilgrims left the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan to start their journey to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas that houses a naturally formed ice ‘lingam’, officials said.
The yatra started early morning from the twin tracks — the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal route — as it rained intermittently, the officials said.
The batches of pilgrims, including men, women and seers, left from the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, in south Kashmir’s Anantnag and Baltal base camp in Sonamarg area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal, at the first light of the day, they said.
The chants of “Bum bum Bhole” filled the air as the batch was flagged off by the respective deputy commissioners and SSPs from the base camps, they added.
Stringent security arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the yatra.
Thousands of security personnel from the police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and other paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure security. Aerial surveillance will also be carried out, the officials said.
The administration has said that no pilgrim would be permitted to undertake the Amarnath Yatra before the registered date, appealing to the devotees to wait for their turn and travel only on the date assigned to them.
In an advisory, it 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 the convenience of pilgrims, 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, the advisory said, adding that, therefore, Tatkal (on-spot) registration slots are extremely limited.
All pilgrims have been requested to reach Jammu and Kashmir only after completing their advance registration, it added.
“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.
In a two-page letter to pilgrims, Modi urged them to take five pledges, including maintaining cleanliness and promoting the ‘vocal for local’ campaign by supporting local businesses in J-K.
He also asked the devotees to follow instructions related to security and traffic movement during the pilgrimage.
Noting that the yatra will conclude on Raksha Bandhan, he asked pilgrims to gift their brothers and sisters a sapling to promote greenery. He also pushed for ‘Rashtra Pratham’ or ‘Nation First’ and contribution towards the goal of making India a developed nation.
In a post on X, Radhakrishnan said, “As the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra commences today, I extend my heartiest greetings and best wishes to all the devotees undertaking this sacred pilgrimage.”
He said the yatra, one of India’s most revered and ancient pilgrimages, reflects the timeless spiritual heritage of Bharat and its enduring traditions of faith and devotion.
For centuries, devotees from across the country have undertaken this sacred journey to the Amarnath Cave, reaffirming the values of unity, harmony and spiritual awakening that lie at the heart of Bharat’s civilisational ethos, he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Shridhar Patil reviewed security arrangements, preparedness and coordination among security agencies deployed for the ongoing yatra in Jammu.
The DIG, who looks after the operational area of three border districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua, chaired the security review meeting on Thursday night at the district police lines in Jammu to assess preparedness and strengthen coordination among security agencies deployed for the ongoing yatra, they said.
The 57-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine started on Friday morning simultaneously via the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in the Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in the Ganderbal district. The yatra will conclude on August 28.
