Over 1.42 lakh devotees have visited the holy Amarnath cave shrine in the last six days. Another batch of 8,150 yatris departed from Jammu to Kashmir on Thursday. Of these, 4,705 pilgrims headed to Nunwan base camp, while 3,445 were bound for Baltal base camp in separate escorted convoys.
All the pilgrims who visited the cave shrine safely returned to the Baltal base camp on Wednesday evening. Authorities are ensuring that no unregistered yatris travel to the Valley as all slots for registered pilgrims are fully booked. The influx of unregistered pilgrims has caused confusion and chaos at the base camps and transit camps.
Four teachers at Manigam transit camp in Ganderbal district were suspended on Wednesday for alleged dereliction of duty. An inquiry has been initiated against them for discrepancies in the number of unregistered yatris they allowed to proceed to the Baltal base camp. Similar mismanagement issues are being investigated at other transit and base camps.
Due to the high number of pilgrims and human activity near the cave shrine, the ice stalagmite inside the cave has begun to melt. Authorities have instructed that only bona fide yatris should be present near the shrine for security reasons. The cave shrine, located at 3880 meters above sea level, houses an ice stalagmite structure believed to symbolize the powers of Lord Shiva.
The pilgrimage, known as SANJY-2026, started on July 3 and will conclude on August 28, coinciding with the Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals.
