Following a day's suspension on Monday due to the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, the annual Amarnath pilgrimage resumed from Jammu on Tuesday morning, according to officials.
Jammu and Kashmir was on high alert for the anniversary, with police announcing that the yatra would be suspended on August 5 due to security concerns.
"No fresh batch of Amarnath pilgrims was allowed to leave the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for Kashmir on Monday morning as a precautionary measure in view of the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370," stated a duty officer at the Bhagwati Nagar base camp.
Over 4.90 lakh pilgrims have visited the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine so far this year.
With this, a total of 4,97,292 pilgrims have visited the holy cave in the last 38 days of the 52-day pilgrimage, which started on June 29 from the twin tracks of Baltal and Nunwan-Pahalgam.
Meanwhile, the Charri Mubarak or the silver mace of Swami Amarnath, was taken to the ancient Sharika Bhawani temple at Hari Parvat in Srinagar to mark Shravan Shukla Paksha Pratipada (Shravan month is considered as one of the holiest months in the year as per the Hindu calendar.
Shukla Paksha is the bright lunar fortnight or waxing moon, and Pratipada is the first day of that fortnight). Led by Mahant Deependra Giri, its custodian, the Charri Mubarak was taken to the ancient Sharika-Bhawani Temple, Hari Parvat, Srinagar as a mark of respect to the Goddess as per age-old traditions.
A sizable number of Sadhus, devotees, and members of Chakreshwar Sharika Sanstha, led by its president Ranjeet Gorkha, participated in the ceremony that lasted for about two hours. The Sanstha also served prashad to sadhus and devotees on the occasion.
Goddess Sharika-Bhawani, popular among mystics as Tripursundari and Chakareshwari Devi is believed to be the Isht Devi (Presiding Deity) of Srinagar city, who manifested herself in a figure of Shila (Holy Rock) at Hari-Parvat, said Mahant Deependra Giri Ji.
The Chhari-Sthapana ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, August 7, at Shri Amareshwar Temple Akhara Building Budshah Chowk Srinagar, and the traditional Chhari-Pujan will be performed on the occasion of Nag-Panchami on Friday, August 9.
The Chhari-Mubarak will leave on August 14 for the Holy Shrine of Swami Amarnath Ji, situated at an altitude of 13,500 feet in South Kashmir, from Dashnami Akhara Srinagar for the main course of the pilgrimage.
The traditional Pujan and rituals will be performed on the auspicious occasion of Shravan-Purnima on August 19, Mahant Deependra Giri said. Nearly five lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the Kashmir Himalayas this year so far.
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