40-day Amarnath yatra to begin on June 29

SRINAGAR: This year's Amarnath yatra will be of 40 days duration and begin on June 29, an announcement made by Jammu and Kashmir Governor, N.N. Vohra, on Monday said.

Mr. Vohra who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) presided over its 32nd meeting in Delhi which was attended besides others also by the Art of Living Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and other members and officials.

A statement issued by the board after the meeting said that the duration and date of commencement of the annual pilgrimage were decided “keeping in view the board's foremost concern of ensuring the safety and security of the pilgrims.” The yatra will commence on June 29, coinciding the Skandshasthi which is an auspicious day as per Hindu calendar, and conclude on Shravan Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) on Aug 7.   Also, the SASB will organise a special pooja ritual at Chandanwari, a base-camp of the yatra near Kashmir's premier resort of Pahalgam, on the day of Jyesth  Purnima, which falls on June 9 this year, “to invoke the blessings of Lord Shiva for the smooth and safe conduct of the pilgrimage”.

The statement further said, “Considering the carrying capacity of the existing tracks and other available infrastructure in the yatra area, the board decided that 7,500 pilgrims, per day per each of the two routes (traditional Pahalgam and shorter Baltal), excluding the pilgrims who would fly to the shrine area by helicopters, would be allowed to register for the pilgrimage”.

As many as 433 designated branches of Punjab National Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Bank and YES Bank located in 32 states and Union Territories will begin to register the pilgrims on March 1. Each intending pilgrim would be required to submit mandatory health certificate to be issued by doctors and hospitals nominated by the State or U.T in which he or she resides at the time of registration.