The Amarnath Yatra continues to draw a significant number of devotees, with over 3.52 lakh pilgrims having completed the pilgrimage so far. On Friday, another group of 2,896 pilgrims departed from Jammu for the Valley. This brings the total number of Yatris who have undertaken the Shri Amarnath ji Yatra since its commencement on July 3, exceeding the expected figure of 3.50 lakh within 21 days.
Latest Batch of Pilgrims
The latest batch of 2,896 Yatris left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu in two escorted convoys. The first convoy, consisting of 42 vehicles and carrying 790 Yatris, left at 3:30 a.m. for the Baltal base camp. The second convoy, with 75 vehicles and 2,106 Yatris, departed at 4:18 a.m. for the Pahalgam base camp.
‘Chhari Mubarak’ Ceremonies Underway
The ‘Chhari Mubarak’ (Lord Shiva’s Holy Mace) was brought to the historic Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar on Thursday for customary Puja. This ritual, led by Mahant Deependra Giri and a group of Sadhus, is observed annually on ‘Haryali-Amavasya’ (Shravan Amavasya).
On Friday, the Chhari Mubarak will proceed to the Sharika Bhawani Temple atop the Hari Parvat hillock in Srinagar for another customary Puja. The final leg of the Chhari Mubarak’s journey to the holy cave shrine will begin on August 4 from the Dashnami Akhara temple in Srinagar, reaching the shrine on August 9, which will mark the official conclusion of the Yatra.
Enhanced Security Measures for the Yatra
In response to the cowardly attack on April 22 by Pakistan-backed terrorists in which 26 civilians were killed in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam, extensive multi-tier security arrangements have been implemented for this year’s Amarnath Yatra. An additional 180 companies of Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed to reinforce the existing presence of the Army, BSF, CRPF, SSB, and local police. Furthermore, over 8,000 special commandos from the Army have been deployed to ensure the safe passage of pilgrims.
