Over 1 lakh pilgrims pay obeisance at Amarnath shrine

More than 1.o4 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the cave shrine of Amarnath in South Kashmir as the pilgrimage entered its 12th day on Monday, officials said.

9,606 pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine today and till date, 1,04,018 pilgrims had performed 'darshan' at the 3,880-metre-high shrine, an official spokesman said.

He said Governor N N Vohra, who is also the chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), took a review meeting of the yatra.

At the meeting, he was informed that during the initial eleven days since the start of the yatra on June 28, the movement of pilgrims from Jammu to Kashmir valley was suspended on three occasions due to rains and slippery track conditions on both the yatra routes and landslides and shooting stones between Railpathri and Brarimarg which resulted in accumulation of a large number of yatris at Baltal and Nunwan base camps, the spokesman said.

He said on one occasion, the movement of pilgrims was stopped from Jammu to the base camp of Baltal and Nunwan because of security concerns.

The Governor was further informed that keeping in view the safety of the yatris, the pilgrimage remained totally suspended on three occasions – June 30, July 4 and July 5 from both Baltal as well as Pahalgam routes and remained suspended twice from Baltal route on June 26 and July 6 because of landslides, slippery tracks and shooting stones caused by incessant rainfall, the spokesman said.

The 60-day yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 26, which is coinciding with the 'Raksha Bandhan' festival.