Long ago, a great intellectual John Bunyan wrote his famous book Pilgrims Progress. He dealt with the spiritual progress of pilgrims who would be willing to go through the physical ordeals of making pilgrimages to religious places. It is true that the ultimate purpose of any pilgrimage is purification of soul. A pilgrimage is supposed to bring the pilgrims closer in communication with the divine from whom they seek blessings to enlighten the soul. This, therefore, is a matter between the man and the divine. There can be no intermediary.
The holy cave in the Himalayas called Shri Amarnath is venerated for the snow lingam that is formed inside the cave on the full moon of the month of Shrawana every year. The lingam wanes with the waning of the moon. Great mythology is woven around this unique phenomenon in which Lord Shiva, the Lord of the Trident representing him as the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer, is worshipped by the devotees. In olden days, mostly the Hindus of the valley would undertake pilgrimage to the holy cave. In those days it was an exercise fraught with many dangers and hazards. But now, worshippers of Lord Shiva from all nooks of the country and even abroad, including foreigners who may not be the believers in the mythology but are struck by the scenic beauty of the abode of the Lord, come to visit the cave in large numbers. This has changed the contours of pilgrimage to this shrine perched at about 18,000 feet above sea level. The Government and the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board are supposed to make the pilgrimage as much secure and comfortable as can be possible in given circumstances.
Influx of pilgrim-tourists to the mountain shrine of Shri Amarnath in recent years owing to rise in income levels of the people leading to frequency of mobility created new problems and perspectives that did not exist in the past. When the number of pilgrims rises from hundreds to lakhs, one can imagine the pressure on resources, environment, services and other things. After some initial hiccups, the Government agencies and the SASB joined heads to address the situation arising out of incredible influx of pilgrims. A realistic solution to the difficulties and obstruction arising from the entire issue had to be thought over and implemented. Thus, the Amarnathji Shrine Board assumed great importance in initiating rebuilding of entire pilgrimage plan and making it compatible with the increase in the quantum of pilgrimage. Under the able and experienced guidance of the Governor of the State, N.N. Vohra, who is also the Chairman of the Amarnathji Shrine Board, a comprehensive plan of modernizing the pilgrimage in terms of communication, accessibility, ecological cleanliness, supplies, base camping, medical and other logistical support etc. big steps have been taken. Revisiting the entire programme of pilgrimage had become necessary not only because of need for dispelling the doubts and concerns of the local people who feared depletion of ecology, but also because of the directive from the Supreme Court which emphasized the responsibility of making the life of pilgrims secure during the course of pilgrimage.
Soon after the Durbar opened in the summer capital of Srinagar, Governor Vohra has begun his exercise of taking stock of things about the pilgrimage to Shri Amarnathji Cave that will begin from June 28 this year. There is little time left and the Governor in his capacity as the Chairman did not waste a single day in apprising himself of the preparations being made. He has conducted aerial survey of the route over the mountains leading to the cave and consequently ordered cleaning of snow at some places in order to make the passage easy. Apart from aerial survey, the Governor called a meeting of all concerned officers and departments involved with safe conduct of pilgrimage. He has taken up for consideration all services item by item that have to be pressed into use in the course of the impending pilgrimage. He has issued directions to the concerned to ensure the services like scientific disposal of garbage at base and other camps, proper sanitation, underground supply of water instead of temporary laying of pipes, upgrading of medical support at base camps and along the pilgrimage route, regular supply of diesel to keep power generation in place and taking power supply beyond Chandanwari and Neelgrath by June 10, allotment of tents and shops to locals according to the guidelines laid down by the Board, layout plans for the camps, only registered pilgrims to cross the access gates at Chandanwari and Neelgrath, streamlining of traffic and providing adequate parking space at Baltal and removing congestion, shifting of Baltal helipad to Neelgrath, shelter sheds with facilities and many other requirements. This shows that the Governor is not letting any service escape his sharp notice and if there is any loophole anywhere, it is to be rectified. The Governor has also directed the authorities to approach the concerned ministries in New Delhi to release subsidized ration and gas for the consumption of the pilgrims under an approved scheme.
The Governor has also directed the DCs of Ganderbal and Anantnag to ensure that all facilities are in place and that the pilgrimage is conducted in orderly manner and the pilgrims are not put to any difficulty. A message has gone to all concerned departments of the Government to be fully conscious of their responsibilities in facilitating safe pilgrimage. All these arrangements show that the Shrine Board and the State Government, both are fully aware of their responsibility and they are responding to it. Incidentally, the big influx of pilgrims may have put burden on services, but at the same time it has a big potential of helping the economy of the state grow further. Thousands of people get casual employment and shopkeepers, taxi drivers, houseboat owners, Kashmir curio sellers and many other people will be benefitted. The Governor and his team are doing a good job. To bring the yatra to scientific levels is an achievement and a big relief to the pilgrims.
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