SRINAGAR, JULY 31: Four lakh devotees have visited the holy Amarnath cave shrine till Thursday.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed gratitude to all the stakeholders involved in the arrangement of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra after it crossed the figure of 4 lakh darshans today.
The Lieutenant Governor in post on X said: “Baba Amarnath makes the impossible possible. With his blessings, the Holy Yatra today crossed the figure of 4 Lakh. I bow to Lord Shiva for this miracle and express my gratitude to everyone involved in making the holy pilgrimage a divine experience for devotees.
The record number of Darshans and the arrival of devotees from across the country and the globe are a testament to India’s unity and its resolve to overcome the challenges. I am truly thankful to the devotees, who have shown immense faith and strengthened our priceless spiritual heritage.
This godly expedition is incomparable not because it is arduous and challenging, but because it is an inimitable journey into pure bliss. It’s a spiritual experience and allows devotees to know themselves and offers deep trust, and fills their hearts with infinite gratitude”.
Each year, the Amarnath Yatra begins during the Shravan month (July-August). Situated at an altitude of 3,888 meters, the holy Amarnath cave is accessible from two routes in the Kashmir Valley. The 46-km Pahalgam–holy cave trek is an ancient pilgrimage route that is covered in five days. There lies the ice lingam of Lord Shiva that is formed naturally and waxes and wanes with the moon. The new 14-kilometer Baltal-holy cave route is now preferred by the pilgrims since it is shorter, though steep, and the journey can be completed in a day. Extraordinary security arrangements have been made for the yatra this year.
Post-Pahalgam attack, security forces are on high alert to ensure an incident-free yatra. Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, has been working overtime to make the yatra comfortable. A key safety feature introduced this year is the mandatory RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tracking for all pilgrims. This is used for real-time monitoring of pilgrims’ movement. This also helps the authorities to help people during exigencies or medical emergencies. Authorities have also installed facial recognition systems (FRS) to detect and flag potential threats in real-time.