AmarnathYatra resumes after day-long suspension

Jammu, July 18 :After being suspended for a day, the AmarnathYatra resumed on Friday along both the Pahalgam and Ganderbal’sBaltal routes.
The 16th batch of 7,908 devotees departed from Jammu early in the morning today and crossed Udhampur district amid tight security arrangements. The authorities facilitated unhindered movement with increased vigilance to ensure that the pilgrims remain safe.
Of 7,908 devotees, 5,029 pilgrims left for Pahalgam and 2879 for Baltal in a convoy of 261 vehicles, comprising Light Motor Vehicles and Heavy Motor Vehicles.
The sacred shrine of Amarnath, situated at 3,888 meters above sea level in Jammu and Kashmir, attracts thousands of pilgrims annually. Pilgrims travel long distances either on the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route in South Kashmir or the more direct but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal route in North Kashmir.
The Yatra had been suspended temporarily on Thursday due to inclement weather conditions, including heavy rain. But the pilgrimage was permitted to continue once the conditions improved.
As many as 2.51 lakh pilgrims have visited the holy Amarnath in the first fifteen days since the commencement of the annual pilgrimage on July 3, the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) informed on Thursday.
According to officials, 5,110 devotees had completed the darshan by 2:00 pm on Thursday alone.
Pilgrims have been visiting the shrine from all parts of the country and abroad since the beginning of the Yatra, expressing great enthusiasm for undertaking this journey of faith, while also appreciating the services and efficient management of the Yatra.
However, due to continuous rainfall over the last two days, the pilgrimage was temporarily suspended from both Pahalgam and Baltal base camps on Thursday as a precautionary measure.
On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed optimism about a record turnout for the ongoingAmarnathYatra, noting the concerns about turnout following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, which had shaken the nation.
“The AmarnathYatra will continue till August 9, and I hope that this number will increase. There was a time when, after the Pahalgam attack, it seemed that hardly anyone would come for the AmarnathYatra. But we have touched 2.5 lakh, and if it stays like this, then we should easily cross three lakhs and 3.5 lakh,” he said.
AmarnathYatra is an annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave, where devotees offer prayers to Lord Shiva.The 38-day annual Amarnath pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine in south Kashmir began on July 3 and will conclude on August 9.