JAMMU, June 27 — The administration began the on-the-spot registration process for devotees arriving for the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage to the cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas on Thursday. Amid tight security arrangements, 1,600 pilgrims have arrived at the Bhagwati Nagar base camp for their onward journey to Kashmir, officials said. The rush at the base camp continues to increase.
Over 800 Sadhus, including women, have arrived at the traditional Ram Mandir and Geeta Bhawan, eagerly anticipating their pilgrimage to the 3,880-meter-high holy cave shrine, home to the naturally formed ice-Shivling. The 52-day pilgrimage will commence on June 29 from the twin tracks: the traditional 48 km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14 km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal. The first batch of pilgrims will leave Jammu’s Bhagwati Nagar base camp and Ram Mandir for the valley on Friday.
An on-the-spot registration center for unregistered pilgrims has been set up in the Shalimar area of the city, while a special camp for the registration of Sadhus has been established at the Purani Mandi-based Ram temple complex, officials said.
“On-the-spot registration has started today for unregistered pilgrims coming from different parts of the country,” said Seema Parihar, Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) and in charge of the Mahajan Hall registration center. She noted that a quota has been fixed for the registration centers in Jammu, with her center registering 358 unregistered pilgrims out of a total quota of 600 for the day. She assured that all facilities for smooth registration are in place.
Amid chants of ‘Bam Bam Bhole’ and ‘Jai Jai Baba Barfani,’ the Sadhus and Sadhvis eagerly await the yatra to commence. “The registration of Sadhus has begun in Jammu today. All arrangements have been made for the best possible facilities for the Sadhus,” another officer said. A total of 170 Sadhus and Sadhvis have been registered for their onward journey to Kashmir tomorrow. The enthusiasm among pilgrims and Sadhus arriving for the pilgrimage is palpable.
Nirotum Kumar, a 52-year-old from Uttar Pradesh on his seventh pilgrimage to the cave shrine, said, “Every year, I undertake the pilgrimage in the first batch. It is my vow to travel in the first batch.” He added that he had registered and received his token, expressing happiness about his upcoming trip to the abode of Bholenath.
Sunita Devi of Ajmer, on her fourth pilgrimage to Amarnath, praised the improved registration process, which has shifted from manual to online. “Every year, there is improvement in yatra arrangements. This has done away with the process of sitting in long queues in hot weather conditions,” she said.
Some Sadhus who arrived after completing the Char Dham Yatra to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath shrines in Uttarakhand mentioned that it is an annual tradition to undertake the yatra in phases, concluding with the darshan of the ice-lingam of Lord Shiva at Amarnath.
Last year, over 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid their obeisance at the 3,880-meter-high shrine.
