Amarnath Yatra begins amid tight security

Srinagar, July 3: Amid unprecedented security, the annual Amarnath Yatra commenced on Thursday, with the first batch of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps at Baltal and Nunwan.

The Yatris are on their way to the cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

Over 5000 Yatris, chanting “Bam Bam Bhole” and “Har Har Mahadev,” started early today morning from the twin tracks- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday morning flagged off the first batch of pilgrims from the Bhagwati Nagar Base Camp in Jammu. The pilgrims had reached the twin base camps of Nunwan and Baltal from Jammu last evening amid a warm welcome by locals and administration

Officials said of the first batch, over 2000 pilgrims began the Yatra through Baltal and over 3000 via Pahalgam. The pilgrims set out early Thursday on their challenging journey, traversing forested mountain trails. While some undertook the trek on foot, others traveled on ponies.

The pilgrims from Baltal were ceremoniously flagged off by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri.

Secretary, Science and Technology Department, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, who is the Nodal Officer for Yatra-2025 for Baltal axis; Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Jatin Kishore; SSP Ganderbal, Khalil Poswal; and other senior officers from the District Administration and Police were also present on the occasion.

The Baltal base camp echoed with chants of “Bam Bam Bhole” and “Har Har Mahadev”, as thousands of ecstatic pilgrims including men, women, elderly devotees, and sadhus, set off on their sacred journey to the Holy Cave Shrine of Shri Amarnath Ji.

The pilgrims expressed joy and appreciation for the robust arrangements made by the Jammu and Kashmir UT Administration, Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB), and the Police. They lauded the seamless coordination and facilities put in place to ensure a smooth and secure Yatra experience.

From Nunwan Pahalgam, the Yatra was flagged by Deputy Commissioner Anantnag Syeed Fakhruddin Hamid and Senior Superintendent of Police Anantnag Amritpal Singh.

This year’s Amarnath pilgrimage comes more than two months after a deadly terror attack at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, in which 25 tourists and a local were killed. The 38-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 9.