Snow halts Amarnath Yatra on Pahalgam route

August 5th, 2009 SRINAGAR - The annual Hindu pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath, which draws thousands of devotees every year, concluded here Wednesday. This year's yatra concluded peacefully as the chief priest Deepinder Giri led the ascetics carrying the Holy Mace of Lord Shiva to the cave shrine in the morning after a night halt at Panjtarni amidst chanting of religious hymns.

August 5th, 2009 SRINAGAR - The sevenweek long annual Amaranath yatra is concluding today, with holy mace of Lord Shiva reaching the shrine from Panchtarni. On Tuesday, the holy mace, 'Charri Mubarak' was brought to Panchtarni from Sheshnag.

July 23rd, 2009 SRINAGAR - Over 350,000 people have visited the Amarnath cave shrine in the Kashmir valley since the two-month-long pilgrimage began June 5. "So far more than 350,000 pilgrims have performed the yatra.

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.

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 19th, 2009 SRINAGAR - The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir continued smoothly Friday as Governor N.N. Vohra and about 6,000 pilgrims offered prayers there.

June 16th, 2009 SRINAGAR - The first batch of pilgrims left the Baltal base camp Tuesday for the holy Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir. More than 10,000 pilgrims, who had reached the Baltal base camp in north Kashmir Ganderbal district Monday, started their 14-km mountain trek towards the holy cave Tuesday morning.

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 14th, 2009 SRINAGAR - Special and elaborate arrangements have been made for the famous Amarnath Yatra which is scheduled to begin from June 15. The Sri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and the Anantnag district administration is all geared up for the world famous pilgrimage.

June 14th, 2009 SRINAGAR - A day before the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir begins, the Indian Army Sunday stepped in to augment the snow clearance efforts as the weather gods turned whimsical, lashing the region with continuous rain and snow. 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 the Himalayas in south Kashmir, was overcast with rain at many places, raising fears 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 11th, 2009 JAMMU - A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the June 15 start of the Amarnath pilgrimage in Jammu and Kashmir as the tracks to the Himalayan cave shrine devoted to Hindu god Shiva are covered with heavy snow. Both the tracks to the shrine - a traditional route involving a 46 km trek from the tourist resort of Pahalgam, 100 km south of here, and a shorter and steep route via Baltal, 105 km north of here - are covered with heavy snow, said an official of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).

June 5th, 2009 SRINAGAR - Ahead of the bi-annual Amarnath pilgrimage starting mid-June, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has beefed up security to ensure an unhindered Yatra for pilgrims. "We have stepped up our security set up for smooth conduct and incident-free Yatra from Lakhanpur, Jammu to Amarnath cave in south Kashmir.

May 13th, 2009 SRINAGAR - The annual two-month pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath will commence on June 7. The yatra will conclude on August 5, Raksha Bandhan.