Heavy Rains Impact Amarnath Yatra; Pilgrimage Suspended From Jammu to Kashmir

Jammu, July 30: Amidst persistent heavy rains, the Amarnath Yatra continues to progress from Jammu, with over 1,300 pilgrims setting off on Wednesday towards the twin base camps nestled in the south Kashmir Himalayas. Authorities made the decision to suspend the pilgrimage on both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes, citing severe weather conditions, a senior official confirmed.

To date, upwards of 3.86 lakh devotees have visited the sacred 'ice lingum' of Lord Shiva at the 3880-meter-high cave shrine since the annual 38-day Yatra commenced on July 3 from the Kashmir valley.

The latest batch, the 28th since the pilgrimage's inception this year, comprises 1,070 men, 210 women, two children, and 57 sadhus and sadhvis. They departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in a convoy of 58 vehicles during the early morning hours, between 3:28 am and 3:47 am.

The first convoy, carrying 322 pilgrims in 16 vehicles, opted for the steeper 14-km Baltal route in the Ganderbal district, while the second convoy, consisting of 1,017 pilgrims in 42 vehicles, chose the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route through the Anantnag district. Both groups were escorted by CRPF and police personnel.

Since July 2, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ceremoniously flagged off the first batch, a grand total of 14,41,24 pilgrims have embarked from the Jammu base camp en route to the valley.

The annual pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 9, aligning with the Raksha Bandhan festival.