Thaindian News

Srinagar, July 1 (IANS) The annual Amarnath pilgrimage was Friday suspended because of bad weather along both the north and south Kashmir routes to the cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Nearly 14,000 pilgrims are camped at the Baltal base camp in north Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and around 7,000 at the south Kashmir Pahalgam camp.

“Another 8,000 pilgrims have been halted at the Manigam transit camp in Ganderbal while the passage of pilgrims towards Baltal and Pahalgam is being regulated to avoid overcrowding at the base camps,” a police officer said.

Reports from Baltal said the 14-km route from the base camp to the cave shrine has become slippery. Rockslides have also occurred at a few places on the mountain trek.

“The trek is extremely slippery and rockslides have also occurred at some places. Route clearance operation will be started after the weather improves. The yatra (pilgrimage) has been halted for the day,” said a paramilitary officer on phone from Baltal.

More than 35,000 pilgrims have performed the yatra during the past two days. The number includes both registered and unregistered pilgrims.

The Amarnath cave shrine, located 13,500 ft above sea level in the Himalayas in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, houses a stalagmite structure which Hindus believe symbolises the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.

The Shivling, as the devotees call it, wanes and waxes in June and July till it reaches the maximum size on the day of Raksha Bandhan, when the pilgrimage formally comes to an end.