More than 18,000 devotees visited Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, and around 4,000 pilgrims had darshan at the Amarnath holy cave shrine after both pilgrimages restarted following a six-day closure due to bad weather. The Yatras resumed on Saturday after being halted for six days.
At the Amarnath holy cave, over 4,000 pilgrims paid their respects by the previous evening, while 18,000 pilgrims visited the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, Jammu region. However, the pilgrimage to the Shiv Khori shrine in Reasi district remained suspended for the 7th consecutive day.
All pilgrimages, including Shri Amarnath Ji, Mata Vaishno Devi, and Shiv Khori, were stopped on July 18 due to an adverse weather forecast from July 19 to July 24 in Jammu and Kashmir. So far, nearly four lakh pilgrims have visited the holy cave in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district since the Yatra began on July 3.
Officials reported that the weather was dry in the cave shrine area in the morning but experienced light rain in the afternoon, allowing the Yatra to progress smoothly. The 18,000 pilgrims stranded at Vaishno Devi, who were accommodated in various hotels and dharmshalas, completed their darshan in the holy shrine by Saturday evening via the old track.
The new track was closed for pilgrimage as a precautionary measure due to the risk of shooting stones, and the Yatra was suspended in the evening due to heavy rains. The Amarnath Yatra resumed after improved weather conditions and the reopening of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway following landslides and shooting stones along the Udhampur-Ramban stretch.
On Saturday, 6,269 devotees departed in a convoy of 223 vehicles under tight security from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas to the Baltal base camp around 2.40 a.m. No convoys moved from Jammu for the Pahalgam route.
Heavy rains in Kashmir over the past few days led to landslides in hilly areas and rising water levels in rivers and streams, prompting authorities to suspend the pilgrimage for safety reasons. The pilgrimage is set to end on August 28, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan. The Amarnath Yatra will be “temporarily” halted from the Pahalgam axis for repair and maintenance work due to recent rainfall in Kashmir.
Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg stated that repair and restoration work is required along the Pahalgam route due to recent rains, leading to the temporary closure of the Pahalgam axis for pilgrimage. Comprehensive arrangements have been made on the Baltal axis to ensure the safe and smooth movement of pilgrims.
