Amarnath Yatra has been temporarily halted from both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes to the holy cave on Saturday due to heavy rainfall, the officials said.
According to officials, the inclement weather has made the tracks slippery, prompting authorities to activate a temporary base camp at Chanderkot in Ramban for pilgrims.
The administration has assured that the pilgrimage will resume once the weather improves and the tracks are deemed safe.
The Amarnath Yatra commenced on June 29, following twin routes - the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam path in Anantnag and the shorter 14-km Baltal track in Ganderbal.
Officials reported that 21,650 pilgrims undertook the pilgrimage on Friday, with devotees having 'darshan' of Baba Bholenath on the seventh day of the annual journey.
Among the pilgrims, there were 15,151 men, 4,147 women, 374 sadhus, and two sadhvis who paid homage to the cave shrine. Additionally, over 1,700 security personnel, one transgender person, and 275 children completed the pilgrimage.
With this, the total number of pilgrims visiting the 3,800-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas has reached 1,51,946.
Tragically, two deaths have been reported during this year’s Yatra due to cardiac arrests on the Baltal route in June. The deceased was a Sevadar from Haryana and a pilgrim from Jharkhand.
The 52-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 19. Last year, more than 4.5 lakh pilgrims visited the cave shrine.
This year, over 3.50 lakh devotees have registered online for the pilgrimage, not including offline and on-site registrations.
Authorities have implemented extensive measures to ensure a smooth and safe journey for pilgrims, including three-tier security, area dominances, route deployments, and checkpoints.
Follow us
