Pilgrims’ rush further picks up
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, July 18: With unabated rush of pilgrims continuing, 16,000 yatris drawn from different parts of country paid obeisance to naturally formed Ice Shivlingam in Himalayan cave in South Kashmir’s district of Anantnag today.
Officials said 16,016 yatris performed darshan at cave shrine from twin tracks of Baltal and Nunwan-Pahalgam by this evening. With this, 2,67,499 pilgrims visited 3888 metre holy cave in deep Himalayas in last 18 days since the 62 day yatra started from twin tracks on July 1 this year.
Officials said that the weather remained pleasant during the day and yatra plied smoothly from both the tracks. The yatris who performed darshan at cave shrine today included 11,1,55 male, 4085 female, 475 children, 300 Sadhus and one Sadhvi.
Officials said that the chopper services also plied normally during the day, adding 17,453 pilgrims were staying at Baltal base camp during last night while 20,501 left the base camp for their home.
Officials said 10,138 pilgrims reached Baltal base camp after performing darshan at cave shrine. There were 7958 pilgrims staying at Panchtarni, the last transit camp on way to holy cave while 11,903 left Panchtarni for darshan towards holy cave.
Officials said that 8,425 pilgrims were staying at Sheshnag during the last night.
Meanwhile, a fresh batch of 6,225 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas here for the twin base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam in South Kashmir and Baltal in Central Kashmir under tight security arrangements early this morning in a cavalcade of 217 vehicles.
Among them 3714 pilgrims preferred the traditional and longest Nunwan-Pahalgam track while 2511 preferred shortest Baltal track.
They included 4335 male, 1748 female, 25 children, 105 Sadhus, and 12 Sadhvis.
The 62-day yatra will culminate on Shravan Purnima coinciding with Raksha Bandhan festival falling on August 31.
The rush of pilgrims is picking up day by day as thousands of yatris also reached here from different parts of country to proceed towards holy cave today. The yatris are in jubilant mood and they want to come every year for darshan.
Sonika, a teenager, who had come for the first time for darshan from Indore, MP along with a group of her family members including her grandfather, said she was very much pleased to see the hospitality of the people in Jammu and the arrangements made by Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and the administration. She said that if Lord Shiva willing she would come for pilgrimage of Bhole Baba every year.
Similar were the views of Ramnik Yadav from Lucknow, UP who had visited holy cave thrice earlier. He said his urge of visiting the holy shrine resting in the lap of Himalayas will never end and he wants to visit every year to bow in the feet of Lord Shiva at cave shrine.
He said since he visited the holy cave first time before the dreaded COVID gripped the world, he saw a complete transformation in his life and this all has happened with the grace of Bhole Nath. “I found solace while reaching the cave shrine so I want to visit again and again,” he added.
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