Amarnath Yatra was temporarily halted on both routes leading to the cave temple on Saturday as a precautionary measure due to heavy rain, officials said.
Intermittent heavy rains were observed on the Baltal and Pahalgam routes since last night, they said.
The official added: The decision to suspend the Yatra has been taken as a preventive measure to ensure the safety of the pilgrims.
The number of devotees who visited the 3,800 meter high cave shrine and had ‘darshan’ of the naturally formed ice lingam crossed 1.50 lakh.
The Amarnath Yatra began on June 29 on two routes — the traditional 48 km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14 km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal — and will culminate on August 19.
The number of devotees who visited the 3,800 meter high cave shrine and had ‘darshan’ of the naturally formed ice lingam crossed 1.50 lakh.
52 day annual pilgrimage
The 52-day annual pilgrimage, which began on June 29, will end on August 19. Online registrations for the yatra started on April 15 on the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) website and portal. According to reports, more than 3.50 lakh devotees have registered for the yatra this year. The administration has created comprehensive arrangements including three-tier security, area dominance, judicious route layout and check points to ensure a smooth pilgrimage.
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125 community kitchens set up
125 community kitchens (langar) have been set up and more than 6,000 volunteers are serving the pilgrims on the two routes leading to the cave shrine. The annual Amarnath Yatra starts on two routes – one is the traditional 48 km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the other is the 14 km shorter but steep Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
The holy pilgrimage is witnessed every year by thousands of pilgrims who visit this place during the ‘Shravani Mela’ in July-August (the month of Shravan in the Hindu calendar).
Last year, more than 4.5 million pilgrims prayed in the cave shrine.
