By Dinesh Manhotra
Unfazed by hostile weather conditions and persistent terror threats, over 50,000 devotees have so far performed the sacred pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath in South Kashmir. On Sunday morning, another batch of over 7,200 pilgrims, braving heavy downpours, departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for the Kashmir Valley. This fresh group of 7,208 pilgrims, including 1,587 women and 30 children, left in two separate convoys between 3:35 am and 4:15 am amid tight security arrangements. “Bam Bam Bholay,” “Har Har Mahadev,” and “Jai Bholay Baba” were repeatedly sung in the air as overenthusiastic devotees shouted slogans after their cavalcade started from Bhagwati Nagar base camp this morning. This was the largest batch of pilgrims since July 3, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the yatra from Jammu. According to officials, the first convoy of 3,199 pilgrims in 147 vehicles proceeded via the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district, while the second convoy of 4,009 pilgrims in 160 vehicles headed for the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route in Anantnag district. Over 50,000 visit cave shrine in first four days An official confirmed that more than 50,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath since the yatra commenced on July 3 from the Kashmir Valley. The yatra continues as planned under heightened security, despite the heinous April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 unarmed and innocent individuals, mostly tourists from other parts of the country, were killed by Pakistani terrorists. In response, the Bhagwati Nagar base camp has been brought under a multi-layered security grid to ensure the safety of devotees. So far, more than 3.5 lakh people have registered online for the pilgrimage. To accommodate the influx, 34 accommodation centres have been set up across Jammu, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are being issued to all registered pilgrims. Additionally, 12 counters have been established for on-the-spot registration. Devotees praise impeccable arrangements Pilgrims have expressed deep satisfaction with the arrangements, calling them seamless and highly efficient. “There is no fear because an adequate number of security personnel have been deployed to ensure foolproof arrangements for the Yatra,” said Ravi Ranjan, a devotee from Bihar. He praised the Jammu and Kashmir administration for providing excellent facilities to the pilgrims. “We thought that the number of devotees would be low this year due to the Pahalgam terror attack, but we were wrong. Enthusiasm is at an all-time high, and the number of pilgrims is increasing with each passing day,” he added. The 38-day pilgrimage, which will conclude on August 10, has drawn heightened interest this year. “More than 3.5 lakh people have registered online for the pilgrimage so far,” said Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, adding that offline counters across Jammu are also facilitating enrolments. The administration has significantly ramped up efforts to ensure seamless travel, medical aid, shelter, and food for the yatris. Despite persistent threats, the unshakable devotion of pilgrims and the tireless efforts of security forces are ensuring that faith continues to triumph, undeterred.