Amarnath Shrine

Amarnath yatra successful, record 512k pilgrims visited: HM Amit Shah

The pilgrimage to holy shrine of Amarnath was successfully completed and a record number of more than 5.12 lakh pilgrims visited it, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday. The pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine, located at a height of 3,880 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas, started on June 29 and ended on August 19. "The holy pilgrimage of Shri Amarnathji was successfully completed. This year, the holy pilgrimage lasted for 52 days, a record number of more than 5.12 lakh pilgrims visited Baba, which is the highest number in the last 12 years," Shah wrote on 'X' in Hindi. Congratulating all security personnel, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, the Jammu and Kashmir administration and voluntary organisations for making the pilgrimage a success, the home minister said, "All of you have made a unique contribution in making the pilgrimage of the pilgrims safe and smooth. May Baba keep his blessings on everyone. Jai Baba Barfani!". The Amarnath pilgrims travel through two route

Amarnath Yatra suspended on Monday after heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir

Due to heavy rain, the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu & Kashmir was suspended on the Baltal route. This year, over 5.10 lakh devotees have visited the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine to pay their respects

Amarnath Yatra: Fresh batch of pilgrims leaves under heightened security

The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board organises the Amarnath Yatra, which is divided into two routes: one that goes through Pahalgam and the other that goes through Baltal

To help pilgrims, DoT upgrades telecom infrastructure for Amarnath Yatra

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Monday announced significant improvements in telecom infrastructure for Amarnath Yatra to ensure seamless mobile connectivity for pilgrims. In collaboration with major telecom operators, including Airtel, BSNL, and Reliance Jio, the infrastructure has been upgraded to provide continuous coverage along the yatra routes, according to an official release. To ensure seamless mobile connectivity, a total of 82 sites (Airtel, RJIL and BSNL) will be active, an official release said. "A total of 31 new sites have been installed along the Yatra routes, increasing the total number from 51 in 2023 to 82 in 2024. This enhancement aims to provide seamless mobile connectivity to the pilgrims and public," it said. The routes from Lakhanpur to Qazigund and from Qazigund to Pahalgam and Baltal are fully covered with 2G, 3G, 4G, including 5G technology, at many places for pilgrims and the public. Further, some key points of SIM distribution centres have

Another batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims departs from Srinagar base camp

This year, the Yatra is taking place in the shadow of recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir

5.7K more pilgrims leave for Amarnath shrine; turnout already over 74K-mark

The sixth batch of 5,725 pilgrims left in 256 vehicles for the twin basecamps of Baltal and Pahalgam at 3.05 am and were escorted by security vehicles

Amid tight security, over 13,000 pilgrims visit Amarnath on Day 1 of yatra

More than 13,000 pilgrims visited the holy cave shrine of Amarnath on Saturday, the first day of the annual pilgrimage in the south Kashmir Himalayas that is being conducted amid tight security. The first batch of pilgrims had left the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan to start their journey to the cave shrine located at an altitude of 3,880 metres. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted pilgrims at the start of the Amarnath Yatra, saying the 'darshan' of Lord Shiva is known to infuse immense energy in his followers. "My heartfelt best wishes to all pilgrims on the commencement of the holy Amarnath Yatra. This Yatra associated with the darshan of Baba Barfani infuses immense energy in the devotees of Lord Shiva. May all devotees prosper with his blessings. Jai Baba Barfani, the prime ministe said in a post on X in Hindi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the Modi government is committed to ensuring a safe, smooth and pleasant pilgrimage to the cave shrine. "Shri Amarnat

ONGC sets up 2 100-bed hosps at twin base camps for Amarnath pilgrims

ONGC has set up two 100-bed hospitals at the twin Amarnath base camps in Kashmir and announced that the facilities would continue to operate post the annual yatra. The 52-day pilgrimage commenced from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-kilometre Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14-kilometre shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal -- early on Saturday. The yatra is scheduled to commence on August 19. ONGC said it teamed up with the health and medical education department to bolster the region's healthcare infrastructure. Recognising the need for sustainable healthcare infrastructure, ONGC, under its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, constructed permanent hospitals at Baltal and Chandanwari-Pahalgam in Anantnag, it said in a statement. Each of these hospitals are equipped with 100 beds, lodging facilities for medical staff and intensive care units that would serve as primary health centres and provide essential medical services to local communities, it ...

Amarnath Yatra 2024: Check routes, security, do's & don'ts and more

The 52-day-long Amarnath pilgrimage to South Kashmir is starting from June 29. The J&K administration has issued guidelines for smooth and secure pilgrimage

LG Sinha visits Amarnath yatra base camp in Jammu, reviews arrangements

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday night visited the base camp of Amarnath yatra in Jammu and reviewed the final arrangements for the pilgrimage. Amid multi-security escort, the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims will depart for twin base camps in Kashmir from Jammu on Friday, marking the beginning of this year's pilgrimage from here. Sinha, who was accompanied by Director General of Police (DGP) R R Swain and top civil and security officials, took a round of the base camp at Bhagwati Nagar and chaired a meeting to review the final arrangements. The Lieutenant Governor also met and interacted with the pilgrims. Subsequently, he chaired a meeting with the officials and reviewed the measures taken to facilitate the comfortable stay of the pilgrims, officials said. He was briefed on the extensive arrangements made for the smooth pilgrimage of the devotees. Sinha directed the stakeholder departments to deploy adequate manpower to cater to the heavy rush of the pilgrims. He als

Amarnath Yatra: Police conducts mock drill ahead of annual pilgrimage

Ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra, the quick reaction teams (QRTs) and special operations group (SoG) of the police on Monday conducted a comprehensive mock drill at the base camp of the pilgrimage in Jammu. This comes close on the heels of Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewing the security situation and the preparations for the annual pilgrimage. The 52-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in south Kashmir will start on June 29 and conclude on August 19. The police carried out a comprehensive mock drill exercise at base camp yatri niwas in Bhagwati Nagar here, officials said. First responder team of sub division headquarters, including all territorial officers from the sub division, were involved in the exercise. The SOG Jammu, along with other territorial Police officers from adjacent sub divisions and their QRTs, also participated in the drill, they said. "The primary objective of this exercise was to provide practical training to the entire team, ensuring the

ADGP Jammu reviews emergency safety arrangements for Amarnath Yatra

Jammu ADGP reviewed the arrangements for the yatra for the establishment of joint control rooms for better and closer coordination between all agencies to ensure the smooth conduct of the yatra

First batch of pilgrims embarks on Budha Amarnath Yatra from Jammu

Stating that all security arrangements have been done for the Yatra, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jammu, Mukesh Singh, wished pilgrims on their journey

915 pilgrims leave Jammu base camp for Amarnath cave shrine

After a one-day break, a fresh batch of 915 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here for Kashmir on Saturday to undertake the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, officials said. The pilgrims left in a convoy of 33 vehicles between 3:30 am and 3:45 am amid tight security, they said. While 675 pilgrims, including 97 women, 25 sadhus and three sadhvis, are headed to the Pahalgam base camp in Anantnag district, 240 devotees are on their way to the Baltal base camp in Ganderbal district, they said. So far, over 4.31 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath since the commencement of the annual 62-day yatra from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the shorter 14-km Baltal route -- on July 1, according to the officials. No yatri convoy left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp on Friday after the authorities decided to run the yatra alternatively from Jammu and Kashmir in view of a sharp decline in the number of pilgrim ..

Another batch of pilgrims leaves from J-K's Srinagar for Amarnath Yatra

The 62-day-long Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 1 will culminate on August 31, 2023

32nd batch of over 1,100 Amarnath pilgrims leave Jammu for cave shrine

The 32nd batch of Amarnath Yatris with over 1,100 pilgrims Thursday left the base camp here for the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas amid tight security arrangements, officials said. Over 4.3 lakh devotees paid obeisance at the 3888-metre high shrine since the commencement of the Yatra on July 1, the officials said. The 62-day annual pilgrimage to Amarnath shrine commenced from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the shorter 14-km Baltal route in the Ganderbal -- on July 1. In the early hours of Thursday, 1,198 pilgrims -- 1,023 men, 116 women, 58 seers and a child -- left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here for the twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam in a convoy of 43 vehicles, the officials said. As many as 932 pilgrims, headed for Pahalgam, left in a convoy of 33 vehicles, while another convoy of 10 vehicles carrying 266 pilgrims left for the Baltal base camp, they added. The Yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 31.

Over 4,600 pilgrims leave Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar base camp for Amarnath

A batch of more than 4,600 Amarnath pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Thursday morning amid tight security. As many as 2.90 lakh devotees have paid obeisance at the Amarnath shrine since the annual pilgrimage began on July 1. A total of 4,675 pilgrims left in a convoy of 169 vehicles for the twin base camps in Kashmir to undertake the onward journey to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva. Officials said 2,850 pilgrims, headed for Pahalgam, left in a convoy of 106 vehicles while another convoy of 63 vehicles carrying 1,825 pilgrims left for the Baltal base camp at 3.30 am and 3.45 am, respectively. The 62-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,888-metre-high cave shrine commenced from the twin tracks of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on July 1. The yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 31.

Amarnath Yatra: Over 7,000 pilgrims leave for twin base camps from Jammu

A fresh batch of over 7,000 pilgrims left Jammu city early Saturday for the twin base camps in the Valley to join the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, officials said. The 62-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas commenced from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the shorter 14-km Baltal route in the Ganderbal -- on July 1. The officials said the 13th batch of 7,392 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in a convoy of 272 vehicles amid tight security. While 4,024 pilgrims left for Pahalgam in a convoy of 146 vehicles, 3,368 devotees left for Baltal in 126 vehicles around 4 am, they said. With this, a total of 80,181 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Valley since June 30. Pilgrims from across the country undertake the Amarnath Yatra to pay obeisance at the holy cave shrine that houses a naturally formed ice shivlingam. At 24,445, the highest number of pilgrims

Amarnath Yatra: DGP reviews security arrangements at Jammu base camp

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh visited the base camp of the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and reviewed the security arrangements. He also interacted with pilgrims and officers at the Yatri Niwas base camp at Bhagwatinagar in the evening, officials said. The annual yatra to the cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas began on July 1 from the twin tracks of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district. The yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 31. The DGP inspected the security arrangements and mechanisms adopted for the security of pilgrims at the camp, they said. He was briefed by the officers about the deployment plans and management of boarding and lodging of pilgrims besides security arrangements in and around the camp, the officials said. Directing that vigil be maintained at and around the camp, the DGP emphasised that instruction for the movement of yatra convoys and timing schedule should be strictly adhered to.

Amarnath devotees throng booking counters as Tatkal registration resumes

A day after Tatkal registration for the Amarnath Yatra resumed here after suspension for three days, hundreds of people thronged the on-the-spot booking counters. The Tatkal registration was resumed on Wednesday after the pilgrimage was suspended from Saturday to Monday due to inclement weather and the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for repairs in the Ramban section. Braving the hot and humid weather conditions, devotees including women are patiently waiting in long queues to get a registration token. "We have been waiting in long queues since morning for the registration. We will first get a token and then have to get a health checkup done, only after which we can proceed with the registration process," Kapil Dev Pandey, a Maharashtra resident who came here for the pilgrimage, told PTI. Pandey, however, pointed out that there should be more counters to attend to the huge number of people. Over 1,500 unregistered pilgrims, including women, who have arrived in Jammu