Preparations for Amarnath pilgrimage begin
May 1st, 2011 - 3:46 am ICT by IANS
Jammu, April 30 (IANS) Preparations for the annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, scheduled to begin from June 29, have started, an official of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) said Saturday.
The board has asked the officers of various departments to give their assessment of the mountainous tracks and how much time it would take to clear those of snow, the official told IANS.
Registration of pilgrims would start mid-May and the pilgrim traffic regulated, depending on the clearance of snow and setting up facilities for the pilgrims on both routes - via Pahalgam, and via Baltal, the official said.
“This time our effort is to ensure that the pilgrims land only after all the arrangements have been made,” the official said.
The annual Amarnath Yatra is an important part of the Hindu pilgrimage calendar. Thousands take part in the trek, organised by the state government, to the 14,000-foot high Amarnath Cave, dedicated to Lord Shiva, in south Kashmir.
Pilgrims come to worship a stalagmite of snow in the cave shrine, that is believed to be an embodiment of the deity.
- More than 150,000 register for Amarnath pilgrimage - May 22, 2011
- 100 post offices to register for Amarnath yatra: SASB - Apr 30, 2012
- Thousands trek to Amarnath cave for prayers (Lead) - Jun 29, 2011
- Bad weather hampering efforts to clear Amarnath route - May 27, 2012
- Amarnath pilgrimage to begin June 29 - Feb 18, 2011
- 'Amarnath yatra duration as per religious tradition' - Apr 15, 2012
- Amarnath pilgrimage registration to commence Tuesday - May 09, 2011
- Preparations for 2012 Amarnath pilgrimage begin - Oct 16, 2011
- Preparations begin for Amarnath pilgrimage - Mar 21, 2012
- Thousands reach Kashmir base camps for Amarnath Yatra (Second Lead) - Jun 28, 2011
- 18,000 pilgrims proceed towards Amarnath cave shrine - Jun 30, 2011
- Annual Hindu pilgrimage of Amarnath to start June 25 - Feb 26, 2012
- Amarnath yatra too short, say religious groups - Feb 29, 2012
- Last leg of Amarnath yatra - chhari mubarak leaves Srinagar - Aug 08, 2011
- Over hundred thousand perform Amarnath Yatra in seven days - Jul 05, 2011
Tags: amarnath cave, amarnath yatra, deity, embodiment, hindu pilgrimage, june 29, kashmir, lord shiva, pahalgam, pilgrim traffic, pilgrims, sasb, shri, shrine board, south kashmir, stalagmite, state government, trek