Amarnath pilgrimage resumes after weather improvement

August 4th, 2009 SRINAGAR - Over 400,000 pilgrims from all over the country visited the Himalyan Amarnath shrine this year during the two-month long pilgrimage which comes to a close Wednesday. The Charri Mubarak - Hindu lord Shiva's mace - reached Panchtarni Tuesday on the penultimate day of its journey to the cave shrine situated at an altitude of over 13,500 feet.

July 22nd, 2009 SRINAGAR - Hindu pilgrims on Wednesday held 'Chadi Pooja' in Srinagar to launch the formal annual Amarnath pilgrimage. Mahant Deependra Giri, the head priest of the Amarnath shrine, performed the rituals amidst chanting of Vedic hymns and also led the holy mace (Chari mubarak) for onward journey to Amarnath cave shrine.

July 3rd, 2009 SRINAGAR - The ongoing annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine was suspended from the south Kashmir's Pahalgam route Friday due to snowfall on the mountain track. A spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), which manages the affairs of the two-month long pilgrimage, said four to six inches of snowfall was recorded Friday morning at Wavbal, Mahagunas Top and Poshpatri on the south Kashmir Pahalgam route to the cave.

June 24th, 2009 SRINAGAR - As many as 50,000 pilgrims have visited the holy Amarnath cave shrine since June 15 when the pilgrimage officially began and with the weather improving in the valley, authorities have decided to allow over 10,000 pilgrims daily from Baltal base camp, officials said Wednesday. "We have been allowing over 10,000 yatris (pilgrims) to visit the holy cave daily from the north Kashmir Baltal base camp since the last two days as the weather along the 14-km long track from the base camp to the cave shrine has improved remarkably now," a senior police officer told IANS here.

June 17th, 2009 SRINAGAR - One porter was killed and another injured in a landslide on the Amarnath pilgrimage route in Jammu and Kashmir, while the body of an unidentified pilgrim was recovered near Manigam transit camp, police said Wednesday. Police said the landslide that killed a porter occurred at Railpathri, 5 km ahead of the Baltal base camp Wednesday.

June 16th, 2009 SRINAGAR - The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in the Kashmir Himalayas was halted Tuesday due to inclement weather as heavy rain lashed the mountainous track to the temple. The temple board advised the pilgrims not to proceed to the north Kashmir Baltal base camp Wednesday as incessant rains and adverse weather conditions led to slippery conditions on the 14-km long trek to the cave shrine.

June 14th, 2009 JAMMU/SRINAGAR - A day before the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir begins, the weather gods turned whimsical, lashing the region with continuous rain and snowfall Sunday. The entire journey stretch of more than 350 km from Jammu to the cave shrine, located at the height of 13,500 feet above sea level, in Himalayas in south Kashmir, was overcast with rain at many places, raising doubts about the safety of the pilgrims.

June 13th, 2009 SRINAGAR - Following bad weather conditions, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) is compelled to revised the dates of the annual pilgrimage along the traditional Pahalgam route, but its schedule via Baltal route will remain unchanged. According to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), due to continuous rain and snowfall at several points on the Pahalgam-Chandanwari route, it was not possible to open the Yatra along this trek till the weather improves, however the pilgrimage will take off from Jammu on scheduled date (June 15) via Baltal route.

June 12th, 2009 JAMMU/SRINAGAR - The annual Amarnath pilgrimage that attracts tens of thousands of Hindus will start June 15 from Baltal, taking the shorter and steeper route to the Himalayan cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, it was announced here Friday. "The first batch of the pilgrims will leave Jammu on June 15 and would reach the cave shrine on June 16," a spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) said in a release.

June 12th, 2009 JAMMU - The annual Amarnath pilgrimage that attracts tens of thousands of Hindus will start June 15 from Baltal, taking the shorter and steeper route to the Himalayan cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, it was announced here Friday. Pilgrims taking the traditional route of Pahalgam via Sheshnag and Mahagunus pass at a height of 14,000 feet will set out June 21.

June 11th, 2009 JAMMU - The Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti (SAYSS), a conglomerate of over two dozen Hindu groups, Thursday warned of an agitation if the pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave temple in the Kashmir Valley was further delayed. The government should be ready to face the "wrath of the people" if the pilgrimmage to the Hindu shrine was delayed beyond June 15, said SAYSS, which last year spearheaded the Amarnath land agitation in Jammu.

May 26th, 2009 SRINAGAR - The annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine in Kashmir that was to begin June 7 has been postponed by a week due to heavy snowfall on the mountainous track to the temple, an official said Tuesday. The two month long pilgrimage will start June 15 and end Aug 5 this year.

May 20th, 2009 JAMMU - Registration for the annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir began Wednesday at over 100 counters across the country, officials said. The registration started at specials counters of Jammu and Kashmir Bank and also online.

May 13th, 2009 SRINAGAR - The annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine in Kashmir, which was at the centre of a land row last summer, will begin June 7 and end Aug 5 this year, an official said Wednesday. The temple trust headed by Governor N.N.

May 11th, 2009 SRINAGAR - The preparations for the upcoming Amaranth pilgrimage in Kashmir have begun. The government with the help of the army has started the construction of road for the pilgrims to reach Pahalgam, the pilgrimage base camp.