New Delhi: The annual Amarnath Yatra was suspended from Sunday. The yatra was scheduled to conclude on August 9 with the festival of Raksha Bandhan, but now the yatra has been postponed almost a week in advance.
Officials have cited persistent bad weather and deteriorating condition of the travel routes as the main reason behind the premature closure of the yatra. The pilgrimage was temporarily halted three days ago due to heavy rains in the area.
According to officials, it was not possible to continue the yatra due to the lack of immediate repair of bad roads and insecurity. There was a similar problem on both Baltal and Pahalgam routes. In view of this, officials announced the suspension of the yatra on Saturday.
According to Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, many areas were badly affected due to the recent heavy rains. This made the route unsafe for pilgrims.
He said that both routes require immediate repair and maintenance. Also, it is not possible to continue the yatra while deploying men and machinery for repairs. According to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board data, despite the premature end of the yatra, nearly four lakh pilgrims managed to visit the holy cave shrine this year.
However, officials admitted that the number of pilgrims fell sharply last week, possibly due to weather-related disruptions. Security was significantly beefed up for this year’s yatra in the wake of a major terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22.
The government deployed over 600 additional paramilitary companies in addition to the existing forces, making it one of the most heavily guarded pilgrimage sites in the country. The pilgrims were transported in heavily guarded convoys from Jammu to both base camps. Civilian movement was also stopped on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway during the convoy operation.
The Amarnath Yatra traces its roots to the discovery of the cave by a Muslim shepherd named Bota Malik in the 1850s. It is historically seen as a symbol of Kashmir’s syncretic culture. Until 2005, the Malik family was responsible for organising the pilgrimage before the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board took over.
However, in recent years, contact between the pilgrims and the local population has reduced as tight security measures have kept most pilgrims confined to the heavily guarded area. Residents say only those directly associated with the yatra, such as pony drivers and palanquin bearers, still maintain regular contact with the pilgrims.
