Under clear skies, over 4,890 pilgrims headed for the Amarnath cave temple in Kashmir on June 30, becoming the first batch to trek to the temple situated at an altitude of 3,657 metres in the Himalayas after a long gap. The yatra was cut short in 2019 days ahead of the Centre’s move to end J&K’s special status on August 5, 2019. COVID-19 led to its cancellation in 2021 and 2022.
The traditional trekking route from Pahalgam in south Kashmir is the toughest. Pilgrims are advised to stay at the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam for a night to acclimatise themselves with the weather and altitude. Pilgrims drive from the Nunwan camp and stop at Chandanwari to start the over 30-km trek. The toughest pass is the Mahagunas Pass at an altitude of 4,276 metres. Most pilgrims stay at Sheshnag for a night before heading for “darshan”. The less-steep Baltal route in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir was opened in 1999 to ease pressure on Pahalgam. Pilgrims trek 14 km and returned in a day to Baltal.
This year, the yatra saw the first helicopter service between Srinagar and the temple. This helped many pilgrims avoid driving through volatile pockets in south and central Kashmir and complete “darshan” in one day. The biggest worry for the J&K administration and security agencies was the intelligence inputs about likely militant attacks.
Over 60,000 pilgrims have already visited the temple. But on July 8, a localised heavy downpour led to flash floods that caused many deaths and washed away tents, community kitchens and kiosks. With the weather improving, the pilgrimage is likely to resume and will conclude on August 11, Raksha Bandhan day.
(Text by Peerzada Ashiq & Images by Nissar Ahmad)
