Srinagar, July 05: More than 20,000 pilgrims paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine on Friday, taking the number of devotees who have had ‘darshan’ of the naturally formed ice lingam so far to over 1.50 lakh, officials here said.
The Amarnath Yatra began 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.
“As many as 21,650 pilgrims performed the yatra on Friday and had darshan of Baba Bholenath on the seventh day of the annual yatra,” the officials said.
They said 15,151 male pilgrims, 4,147 female pilgrims, 374 sadhus and two Sadhvis were among those who paid obeisance at the cave shrine.
Over 1,700 security personnel, one transgender person and 275 children also performed the pilgrimage.
With this, the number of pilgrims who have visited the 3,800-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas has now reached 1,51,946, the officials said.
Deaths of two devotees — a sevadar from Haryana and a pilgrim from Jharkhand — have been reported during this year’s yatra so far. Both of them suffered a cardiac arrest on the Baltal route in June, according to the officials.
The 52-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 19.
More than 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine last year.
J&K opens post offices at Yatra base camps
The Department of Posts, Jammu and Kashmir Circle, has officially opened a Post Office at the Nunwan Base Camp to serve pilgrims during the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra, which commenced on June 29, 2024.
This initiative aims to support Yatries with essential postal services at two key base camps: Nunwan-Pahalgam and Baltal-Sonamarg, both under the Srinagar Postal Division of J&K Circle.
Javaid Ahmad Haji, Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Srinagar Division, inaugurated the Nunwan Base Camp Post Office. He highlighted the range of services available, including booking of registered letters, Speed Post, parcels, Post Office Savings Bank account services (opening, deposits, and withdrawals), and India Post Payments Bank account services (opening, cash transactions, Aadhaar Enabled Payment System), among others.
The Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) allows Yatries to conduct transactions using their Aadhaar number, facilitating withdrawals and deposits from any bank account linked to Aadhaar, not limited to Post Office accounts. Additionally, Yatries can purchase packaged Gangajal, packaging materials, envelopes, inland letter cards, and postcards at these seasonal Post Offices.
Moreover, a permanent Post Office in Pahalgam offers comprehensive services to the general public, including mail bookings, savings bank services, and mail deliveries in Pahalgam and nearby areas. To promote tourism, the J&K Postal Circle has issued a Pictorial Cancellation at the Pahalgam Post Office featuring the image of the religious pilgrimage site “Shri Amarnath Ji Cave”. This cancellation will be available soon for the general public interested in getting postal stationary items like Post Cards, Inland Letter Cards, Envelopes, and Picture Post Cards cancelled.
Javaid Ahmad Haji reiterated the Department of Posts’ commitment to supporting Yatries by opening seasonal Post Offices at the base camps annually. Ishfaq Ahmad Ganie, Assistant Superintendent of Post Offices, Anantnag, Sub Division, also attended the inauguration ceremony.
