Under 24×7 monitoring from a high-tech Integrated Command and Control Centre and the Police Control Room, the first batch of over 5,880 Amarnath pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu and reached the Valley on Wednesday.
The 38-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas begins Thursday — from the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district as well as the 14-km, but steeper, Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
The convoy was flagged off by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha. “Wishing all spiritual seekers a safe and comfortable journey to the holy abode of Lord Shiva for a deeply soul-stirring experience. Prayed to Baba Amarnath for peace and blessings to all,” he said.
This year’s Amarnath pilgrimage comes more than two months after a terror attack in Pahalgam killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists.
An unprecedented multi-tier security cover was in place Wednesday as the convoy moved on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
“The yatra is being monitored 24×7 from the Integrated Command and Control Centre at Raj Bhawan and the Police Control Room, while an RFID-based tracking system has also been put in place to monitor movement of yatris and their convoy on a real time basis, officials said.
Of the first batch, 2489 pilgrims will undertake the yatra through Baltal and 3,403 via Pahalgam. An official said that a majority of the 3.31 lakh pilgrims who have registered for the yatra this year have chosen to go from the Pahalgam route. Last year, the yatra recorded the highest footfall in 12 years, with over five lakh devotees visiting the holy cave.
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A pilgrim from Mumbai, who did not want to be named, said this yatra was to also pay tribute to those killed in the April attack. “This year’s pilgrimage is a message to terrorists (that) we do not fear them,’’ he said.
