Pahalgam route for Amarnath pilgrimage to open Friday

Srinagar/Jammu, June 25 : The ongoing annual Hindu pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in the Kashmir Himalayas will be allowed also through the traditional Pahalgam route from Friday, officials said Thursday.

The pilgrimage began June 16 from the north Kashmir town of Baltal, the shorter and steeper route to the temple located at the altitude of 13,500 feet. However, the traditional south Kashmir route from Pahalgam via Sheshnag and Mahagunus to the holy cave had been blocked due to heavy snowfall.

B.B. Vyas, the chief executive officer of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) that manages the affairs of the shrine, said the decision to open the Pahalgam route was taken after examining improvements on the track and the weather conditions.

An official spokesman of the temple board said only physically fit pilgrims with all necessary woollen clothings would be allowed to travel along the traditional route, which involves a trek of 46 km from Pahalgam, 100 km from Srinagar.

Children below 12 years of age would also not be allowed to undertake the journey through Pahalagam.

Women pilgrims have also been advised to avoid undertaking the journey to the cave shrine from the south Kashmir route till the board issues a fresh advisory regarding track conditions.

The uphill journey from the Nunwan base camp to the cave takes four days to complete with stops at Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarni.

Thousands of Hindu devotees every year visit the cave shrine, which houses the naturally created ice stalagmite, which devotees consider as a form of Shivalingam, an icon of Lord Shiva.

Many pilgrims believe that the pilgrimage to the shrine is "successful" only through the traditional route.
Vidya Sagar from Amritsar, who has been camping in Jammu for the past five days, was overjoyed to hear that the pilgrims would be able to trek on this route from Friday.
"Bhole Shankar (Lord Shiva) has answered my prayers," he said.

The pilgrimage will conclude Aug 5. Over 80,000 pilgrims have visited the shrine so far.

--IANS