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Another batch of devotees set to depart for the pilgrimage to the Holy cave of Shri Amarnath Baba with the chants of 'Har Har Mahadev' and 'Bam Bam Bhole'
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India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
Excellent arrangement: Devotees hail facilities as they depart fo
Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 3 (ANI): A fresh batch of pilgrims set off on Thursday morning for the holy cave of Shri Amarnath Baba, chanting 'Har Har Mahadev' and 'Bam Bam Bhole' as they began their journey. One pilgrim at the Baltal base camp, who is visiting the Amarnath shrine for the 14th time, praised the arrangements. 'I am from Sangrur, Punjab. This is the 14th time I have come for the Amarnath Yatra. There is no need to rush. The arrangements made by the government are excellent,' he told ANI. A pilgrim from Bengal, who was part of the first group departing from the Pahalgam base camp, also expressed satisfaction. 'We are very happy. We have no fear. Our government is very good... Our Army is also very good. We have no reason to be afraid,' he said. Another devotee from the same batch added, 'The facilities are very good... Everything belongs to Bhole Baba. We possess nothing... The arrangements are excellent.' Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said the enthusiasm among devotees for the 38-day yatra is unmatched. 'This Yatra is not just a religious Yatra. Security forces, 'pitthus', and every service provider are involved in it... The enthusiasm among the devotees is unparalleled. I pray that everyone's wishes are fulfilled and there is peace and happiness in Kashmir and the rest of the country,' he said. Kavita Saini, a pilgrim making her first trip to Amarnath, also shared her experience. 'This is my first time for the Amarnath Yatra. The experience is very good. We got our medical certificate and registration from here. Everyone was very helpful. The Delhi Police and Kashmir Police were all very helpful to us... I will pray that there is peace and happiness in our country and that whatever happened recently does not happen again.' The 38-day pilgrimage will begin on July 3 and end on August 9. It will follow two routes, the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The first group of pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on July 2. Security across the Jammu region has been stepped up significantly in the wake of the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam. Over 50,000 personnel from the CRPF, Army, and Police have been deployed. CCTV cameras, drones, jammers, and facial recognition systems are being used to monitor the route. Arrangements have also been made for medical teams, air ambulances, and emergency evacuation, to ensure the safety of all pilgrims. (ANI)
United News of India
11 hours ago
- United News of India
Amarnath Yatra begins amid tight security
Srinagar, July 3 (UNI) Amid unprecedented security, the annual Amarnath Yatra commenced on Thursday, with the first batch of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps at Baltal and Nunwan. The Yatris are on their way to the cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. Over 5000 Yatris, chanting 'Bam Bam Bhole' and 'Har Har Mahadev,' started early today morning from the twin tracks- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday morning flagged off the first batch of pilgrims from the Bhagwati Nagar Base Camp in Jammu. The pilgrims had reached the twin base camps of Nunwan and Baltal from Jammu last evening amid a warm welcome by locals and administration Officials said of the first batch, over 2000 pilgrims began the Yatra through Baltal and over 3000 via Pahalgam. The pilgrims set out early Thursday on their challenging journey, traversing forested mountain trails. While some undertook the trek on foot, others traveled on ponies. The pilgrims from Baltal were ceremoniously flagged off by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri. Secretary, Science and Technology Department, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, who is the Nodal Officer for Yatra-2025 for Baltal axis; Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Jatin Kishore; SSP Ganderbal, Khalil Poswal; and other senior officers from the District Administration and Police were also present on the occasion. The Baltal base camp echoed with chants of "Bam Bam Bhole" and "Har Har Mahadev", as thousands of ecstatic pilgrims including men, women, elderly devotees, and sadhus, set off on their sacred journey to the Holy Cave Shrine of Shri Amarnath Ji. The pilgrims expressed joy and appreciation for the robust arrangements made by the Jammu and Kashmir UT Administration, Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB), and the Police. They lauded the seamless coordination and facilities put in place to ensure a smooth and secure Yatra experience. From Nunwan Pahalgam, the Yatra was flagged by Deputy Commissioner Anantnag Syeed Fakhruddin Hamid and Senior Superintendent of Police Anantnag Amritpal Singh. This year's Amarnath pilgrimage comes more than two months after a deadly terror attack at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, in which 25 tourists and a local were killed. The 38-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 9. UNI MJR RKM
India Gazette
14 hours ago
- India Gazette
"Not just a religious Yatra, it's a Yatra of the people": Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri
Baltal (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 3 (ANI): As a fresh batch of pilgrims set off on Thursday for the holy cave of Shri Amarnath Baba, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri stated that the Yatra was not just a religious one, but one of the people. He further stated that security forces, porters, tent service providers and others had been involved in the Yatra. 'This Yatra is not just a religious Yatra. It is a Yatra of the people. Security forces, 'pitthus', tent every service provider is involved in it... The enthusiasm among the devotees is unparalleled. I pray that everyone's wishes are fulfilled and there is peace and happiness in Kashmir and the rest of the country...' Bidhuri told ANI. Earlier, devotees chanted 'Har Har Mahadev' and 'Bam Bam Bhole' as they began their journey. One pilgrim at the Baltal base camp, who is visiting the Amarnath shrine for the 14th time, praised the arrangements. 'I am from Sangrur, Punjab. This is the 14th time I have come for the Amarnath Yatra. There is no need to rush. The arrangements made by the government are excellent,' he told ANI. A pilgrim from Bengal, who was part of the first group departing from the Pahalgam base camp, also expressed satisfaction. 'We are very happy. We have no fear. Our government is very good... Our Army is also very good. We have no reason to be afraid,' he said. Another devotee from the same batch added, 'The facilities are very good... Everything belongs to Bhole Baba. We possess nothing... The arrangements are excellent.' Kavita Saini, a pilgrim making her first trip to Amarnath, also shared her experience. 'This is my first time for the Amarnath Yatra. The experience is very good. We got our medical certificate and registration from here. Everyone was very helpful. The Delhi Police and Kashmir Police were all very helpful to us... I will pray that there is peace and happiness in our country and that whatever happened recently does not happen again.' The 38-day pilgrimage which has started today will end on August 9. It will follow two routes, the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The first group of pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on July 2. Security across the Jammu region has been stepped up significantly in the wake of the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam. Over 50,000 personnel from the CRPF, Army, and Police have been deployed. CCTV cameras, drones, jammers, and facial recognition systems are being used to monitor the route. Arrangements have also been made for medical teams, air ambulances, and emergency evacuation, to ensure the safety of all pilgrims. (ANI)
