Multiple rings of security have been thrown around the Amarnath shrine in Kashmir as 3,488 pilgrims arrived in the Valley on June 30, a day ahead of the 62-day long pilgrimage starting off from the twin bases of Pahalgam and Sonamarg.
J&K Lieutenant Governor flagged off the first batch of pilgrims, who were raising religious chants, from Jammu’s Bhagwati Nagar in a convoy of 164 vehicles. Around 1,491 pilgrims will halt at the Baltal base camp and 1997 at the Pahalgam base camp. They will proceed to the cave shrine, 14,000 feet. The Baltal-shrine route in Sonamarg is a 14-km trek on foot and the Chandanwari-shrine in Pahalgam is a 32-km trek.
“This year’s pilgrimage brings greater significance as we have two ‘Shravan’ months. This extraordinary astronomical event is taking place after 19 years,” Mahant Deependra Giri, the custodian of the “Chhari Mubarak” or the holy mace of Lord Shiva said.
