Hundreds of Thousands Get Ready for Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage

Over 2, 25,000 pilgrims have registered so far for the ancient annual pilgrimage of Amarnath Yatra to the 13,500-feet high cave shrine of Lord Shiva in the Indian Himalayas.

The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) began the registration process on May 10 for this year's yatra or pilgrimage, which will commence on June 29, 2011 and culminate on August 13, which falls on the full moon night of the Hindu month of Shravana and coincides with the Raksha Bandhan festival.

The countdown has begun with the Jammu & Kashmir State Government finalising all arrangements for the pilgrims. India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will deploy about 5,000 personnel to ensure adequate safety and security of the pilgrims. Despite militant attacks in 2006, there has been no dearth of pilgrims for the yatra. The number of yatris or pilgrims has been growing with an average of over 400,000 people taking part in the yatra each year. Besides, the pilgrimage has come to become a symbol of Hindu Muslim unity in the troubled Kashmir valley, with the local Muslims providing necessary support services to the pilgrims in keeping with the peaceful secular traditions of India.

Nearly half of the pilgrims have chosen to travel to Amarnath via Baltal route, while the rest opted for the traditional Pahalgam-Amaranth route via south Kashmir. While most people commit to travel on foot chanting the slogan 'Baba Amarnath ki Jai', a helicopter service from Pahalgam to Panchtarni, the nearest airbase, is also available for devotees who can afford it. For senior citizens, there are ponies and palanquins to reach the highest point of the route at Mahaguns, which is about 14,500 feet above sea level.