Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 2 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday flagged off the first batch of Shri Amarnathji Yatra 2026 pilgrims from Jammu, marking the formal commencement of the annual pilgrimage.
Speaking on the occasion, BJP MP Jugal Kishore Sharma said the Shri Amarnath Yatra is one of the most significant pilgrimages in India and expressed hope for its smooth conduct. He noted the growing enthusiasm among devotees and prayed for the success of the Yatra.
Jammu and Kashmir Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Sunil Sharma also extended his greetings to the pilgrims and said the arrangements made by the J&K Shrine Board would ensure a comfortable journey. He added that this year's pilgrimage may witness a higher turnout and could break previous records.
He said, "I congratulate the flagging off of the first batch and pray for the success of this journey. The facilities provided by the J&K Shrine Board will make the Yatra more comfortable... There might be significantly more rush than in the previous years, and it will break records..."
The Yatra witnessed large gatherings of devotees chanting "Bam Bam Bhole" at both Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in the Kashmir Valley. Just hours before the flag-off, CRPF personnel of the 137th Battalion, along with a K9 unit, sanitised the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Udhampur to ensure preparedness and security for the pilgrimage.
Earlier, on Tuesday, security forces in Jammu and Kashmir intensified their preparations, conducting anti-terror mock drills and deploying a multi-layered security grid across the yatra routes. In Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with paramilitary forces, conducted an anti-terror mock drill on Tuesday at the newly constructed Yatri Nivas, Shri Prem Garg Bhawan, located at the Pathan Chowk Base Camp.
The annual pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath cave shrine, situated at an altitude of around 3,880 metres in the Himalayas of south Kashmir, is one of the country's most significant religious pilgrimages.
Devotees undertake the yatra to pay obeisance to the naturally formed ice Shivling, which symbolises Lord Shiva.
The 57-day pilgrimage this year will commence simultaneously from the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district on July 3.
The yatra will conclude on August 28, coinciding with the festival of Raksha Bandhan. (ANI)
