The annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas was today temporarily suspended from the Baltal route following rains in the area. However, the pilgrimage was going on smoothly on the traditional Pahalgam route as more than 5,000 pilgrims set on the two day-trek.
“The yatra from Baltal route has been stopped temporarily due to inclement weather. A decision on allowing the pilgrims to proceed further will be taken only after the track is declared safe,” an official at the yatra control room said.
The yatra, which began on June 29, was suspended this morning due to overnight rainfall resulting in slippery track at many places along the 13-km route to the holy cave shrine, he said. More than 35,000 pilgrims performed darshan of the naturally formed ‘ice-lingam’ inside the 3,880-metre high cave shrine till last evening. Earlier in the day the fourth batch of 2,303 pilgrims left the Jammu base camp for the Amarnath yatra. Over 2.50 lakh pilgrims have registered for the annual yatra this year but the number is expected to cross four lakh by the end of the pilgrimage on August 13 as many pilgrims have not registered themselves.
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