Charri Mubarak to leave for Pahalgam on July 3
Avtar Bhat
SRINAGAR/JAMMU June 27:With heavy rush of Amarnath pilgrims continuing, a fresh batch of 22,810 pilgrims performed darshan in the holy cave on the third day of yatra today. With this, the total number of pilgrims paying obeisance to holy Ice Lingam at 3,880 metre cave shrine has reached to 54,413 in last three days of the annual yatra which started on June 25.
According to an official spokesman, 31,603 pilgrims performed darshan in holy cave during the first two days of the yatra.
He said thousands of yatris are reporting at base camps of Nunwan, Pahalgam and Baltal daily for the pilgrimage of holy cave.
He said 12,471 yatris left from Nunwan to holy cave via traditional Chandanwari track early this morning while 8,664 left from shortest 16 kilometre Baltal track. The yatris who left via Chandanwari track after a night halt at Sheshnag or Panchtarni will perform darshan at holy cave tomorrow while maximum yatris who left via Baltal track had reached the cave shrine by late this evening while others were on their way, he added.
A fresh batch of 3,573 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp for holy cave early in the morning in a cavalcade of 110 vehicles under tight security arrangements.
Comprising of 2405 male, 728 female, 152 children and 288 Sadhus the yatris left in 71 buses and 39 LMVs.
These pilgrims who crossed the Jawahar tunnel at 1720 hours had reached the base camps of Nunwan and Baltal late in the night.
To maintain smooth plying of traffic on Jammu –Pathankote National highway and avoid the frequent traffic jams the authorities have not stopped 1000 pilgrims at Hiranagar and Rajbagh.
However increasing rush of pilgrims and coupled with inclement weather has been cause of concern for both Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and state administration.
The traffic chaos were being witnessed on both Khanabal-Pahalgam route as well as Srinagar Baltal route due to increasing rush of the pilgrims also. According to eye witnesses there are huge traffic jams on the two routes.
A group of pilgrims who left Baltal for Srinagar at 5pm covered five kilometres distance upto Neelgrath in three hours due to traffic chaos on Srinagar- Baltal route and huge traffic jams.
A spokesman of the Board said that it rained during the day at Pahalgam and on the tack to cave shrine resulting in decrease in temperature also.
Governor N. N. Vohra, who is Chairman of the Shrine Board, reviewed the first two days of yatra movement to the holy cave at a high level meeting held at Raj Bhavan today. Navin K. Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer, SASB, Preet Pal Singh, Additional CEO, SASB, and other concerned officers were present in the meeting.
The Governor asked Mr Choudhary to forthwith proceed to the Baltal base camp, and from there to the Nunwan base camp, to particularly ensure that all those crossing the control gates were duly registered pilgrims and to also check the entire arrangements and facilities set up for the yatris. Keeping in view the continuing adverse weather conditions the Governor directed the CEO to ensure that the camp directors and their officers continuously monitored the yatra movement.
The CEO informed the meeting that the movement of yatris had to be stopped on several occasions, for varying periods, in view of the heavy rains. However, the pilgrimage has moved satisfactorily, along both the routes and over 31,000 yatris had paid their obeisance at the holy cave during the first two days of this year’s yatra.
The meeting decided that the check points/control gates at all the camps will be further strengthened to prevent venturing of the yatris on the tracks during odd times for their safety. Side by side, a very close watch is being kept on the emerging weather pattern to see that movements are stopped or restricted in the event of heavy rains, a handout issued by SASB said. As there was a light snow fall at the Shrine yesterday, the Governor directed all the concerned agencies with yatra management to ensure close coordination in the interest of the safety and security of the yatris, particularly in regard to their forward movement to the base camps and onwards to the holy shrine.
Meanwhile, Preet Pal Singh, Additional CEO of the Board, has once again appealed to the intending yatris to embark on the pilgrimage only after obtaining a valid yatra Permit. He also reiterated the Board’s appeal to the yatris not to reach the base camps without registration to ensure against avoidable inconvenience on not being able to cross the Control-cum-Security Gates at Baltal and Nunwan base camps without the registration slips. He further appealed to the yatris to reach the base camps only on the date and for the route for which they have registered themselves.
He also reminded the yatris that the Compulsory Health Certificate has to be produced by all those pilgrims who have registered themselves on-line or are traveling by helicopter. The yatris traveling by the helicopter services, their heli tickets will be considered as registration but they would not be allowed to board if they do not produce the required Health Certificate, duly signed and stamped by a registered Medical Practitioner.
He said that the Board has also issued a detailed Advisory of Do’s and Don’ts for the yatris visiting the holy cave Shrine. The yatris need to strictly adhere to these Do’s and Don’ts as they have to undertake an arduous trek through high mountain ranges under adverse weather conditions.
With the death of five more pilgrims from different parts of the country, eight yatris have died since the commencement of the annual pilgrimage on June 25.
Official sources said Geeta, a resident of Padma Nagar, Bangalore, died at Baltal base camp due to heart attack.
Another yatri Rajbeer Saini (40), a resident of Indra colony, Haryana, died at Kalimata, Sangam.
Both the bodies have been handed over to Sonamarg Police Station for completing further legal formalities.
A 73-year-old Ramchand Jogmal Thavni, a resident of Ulhas Nagar, Maharashtra died in a tent at lower camp of the holy cave.
Chander Kanta (63), hailed from Pawa, Kurukshatra in Haryana died at Domail.
One yatri has also died at Pisso Top late last night and his body ahs been handed over to Police for identification, an official spokesman said.
He said seven yatris were injured in a road accident in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Reports said that a Tavera bearing registration number JK03C/7386 collided with another Tavera bearing registration number JK03c/7380 near Rayalgund –Chawri, Anantnag resulting in injuries to seven yatris. The injured were shifted to hospital for treatment and police has registered a case.
Besides a bus bearing registration number JK03-3288 carrying yatris on way from Baltal to Srinagar met with an accident near Manigam in Ganderbal district. A team of Civil Defence headed by Mohammed Shafi, C D Warden reached the spot immediately and rescued the yatris and provided first aid to them. They were shifted to Srinagar in another bus later.
Last year, more than 100 pilgrims, mostly due to cardiac arrest, died during the pilgrimage, forcing Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) to direct the yatris to get medical certificate from a doctor that he or she is fit for pilgrimage.
‘Chhari Mubarak’, the holy mace of Lord Shiva, will be taken to south Kashmir’s Pahalgam next week on a month-long journey of special prayers, marking the ritualistic start of the Amarnath pilgrimage.
The first of a series of special prayers will be held on July 3 at Mattan temple in Anantnag district.
“Chhari Mubarak will leave for Pahalgam from Dashnami Akhara, Srinagar. ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ and ‘Dhwajarohan’ (flag hoisting) ceremonies will be performed at the resting place of Chhari Mubarak in Pahalgam. After performing the rituals, Chhari Mubarak will return to Dashnami Akhara the same day,” Mahant Deependra Giri, the custodian of the holy mace, said in a statement.
Prayers will also be offered at Shankaracharya temple and Sharika Bhawani temple on July 19 and 20, Mhanat Ji said.
On July 23, ‘Charri Pujan’ will be performed at Dashnami Akhara on the occasion of ‘Nag Panchami’.
The ‘holy mace’ will begin its journey from Srinagar to the Amarnath cave shrine on July 28 and on its way special rituals and prayers will be performed at Sureshwar temple in Srinagar, Shiv temples in Pampore and Bijbehara, ‘Martand-Tirth’ in Mattan and Ganesh temple across river Lidder at Ganeshbal, he said.
The ‘puja’ will be performed at Pahalgam on July 29.
The Mahant will carry the holy mace to Amarnathji on August 2, ‘Shravan-Purnima’ to have the ‘Darshan’. On that auspicious day prayers would be offered whole day with traditional rituals.
“On August 4, after the ‘Puja’ and ‘visarjan’ (culminating) ceremonies at the bank of river Lidder in Pahalgam, ‘Chhari Mubarak’ will return to Srinagar”, Giri added.
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