By Friday evening, a total of 4,944 pilgrims, comprising 3,861 men, 776 women, and 308 children, had paid obeisance at the sacred site. Previously, during the pre-yatra period up to July 15, some 53,618 devotees had already visited, bringing the cumulative tally to 58,562 worshippers so far. The pilgrimage will continue until September 5.
Leader of the Opposition in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, accompanied by Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, IGP Bhim Sen Tuti, and District Magistrate Pankaj Sharma, visited the shrine on opening day to welcome devotees.
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Speaking after the prayers, Sharma remarked: “Despite the growing number of pilgrims, many still face significant difficulties due to poor road connectivity and inadequate infrastructure. I have constantly worked towards enhancing the basic facilities in this remote and sacred region to ensure a smoother and more comfortable journey for the pilgrims.”
He appealed to people across the Union Territory and beyond to experience the spiritual serenity and divine energy of Machail Mata. Efforts have been made to enhance pilgrim welfare: the Yatri Niwas at the base camp in Gulabgarh and along the route now accommodates up to 5,000 pilgrims daily.
Facilities for sanitation, drinking water, power, medical aid, mobile connectivity, langars, and traffic management have been stepped up in the ecologically sensitive region. Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Sharma described the yatra as holding immense spiritual and cultural significance and an important destination for devotees from across the nation.
SSP Naresh Singh assured pilgrims of adequate security arrangements, help desks at every camp, and urged everyone to comply with yatra guidelines for a safe, smooth, and spiritually fulfilling journey.
Meanwhile, a fresh batch of over 2,300 pilgrims left a base camp in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday (July 26) to offer prayers at the 3,880-meter high holy cave shrine of Amarnath. Over 3.60 lakh pilgrims have so far visited the cave shrine since the commencement of the 38-day yatra on July 3.
However, the footfall at the shrine has started decreasing over the past few days with the melting of the naturally formed ice-shivlingam.
Escorted by the police and CRPF personnel, the 24th batch of 2,324 pilgrims, including 377 women and 51 Sadhus and Sadhvis, left Jammu’s Bhagwati Nagar base camp in 92 vehicles for the twin base camps in Kashmir between 3.25 am and 3.45 am, the officials said.
The first convoy, carrying 741 pilgrims in 34 vehicles, left for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district, followed by the second convoy of 1,583 pilgrims in 58 vehicles who are undertaking the yatra via the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district, they said.
With this, a total of 1,39,098 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base camp for the valley since July 2 when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch.
The pilgrimage is scheduled to end on August 9, coinciding with the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
(With inputs from PTI)
