For the second consecutive day, the Amarnath Yatra from Jammu has been suspended due to inclement weather conditions, according to officials. This means no new groups of pilgrims are being allowed to proceed to the Amarnath cave shrine in the South Kashmir Himalayas.
Pilgrims arriving for the yatra are currently staying at the high-security Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu. They will await an improvement in the weather before continuing their journey to the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal.
Since the 38-day pilgrimage began on July 3, over 4 lakh pilgrims have paid their respects at the ice lingam of Lord Shiva at the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine.
An official stated, “The yatra to the cave shrine from Jammu remained suspended today. It has been done in view of the inclement weather besides precautionary measures. No fresh batch was allowed from Jammu towards Amarnath.”
This is the second suspension of the yatra from Jammu this season; the first occurred on July 17 due to heavy rains at the base camps in Kashmir.
Since July 2, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first group, a total of 1,44,124 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base camp for the Valley. Last year, over 5.10 lakh pilgrims visited the cave shrine, which features a naturally formed ice lingam.
The pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.
