The toughest Yatra of them
all – the Amarnath Yatra – the Hindu Annual Pilgrimage of Lord ‘Shiva Linga’ is
here, beckoning all the strong-willed on a spiritual journey all the way up to13,000
feet altitude to the 130-foot high Amarnath Cave where the ice Shiva Linga
naturally forms every year. The Amarnath Cave is set amidst snowy Kashmiri mountains
where the air loses its oxygen count at -50 Celsius.
Amarnath Yatra is open for
37 days this year between 25 June and 2 August. Registrations – online and over
the counter are open. On-spot registrations are also possible.
Visiting the Amarnath Cave
is practically an adventure sport in itself as it entails strenuous trekking-trails
through challenging rocky, verdant and snowy mountainous terrain and camping in
the mountain wilderness. Involving 50 kilometres of near-vertical
mountain-climb and spanning 4 days (one way) is this mother-of-all-Yatras for
Hindus all over the world.
The base camps for this
Yatra are Chandanwari and Baltal. Both these places are approached via Jammu. The
routes being:
1.
Jammu > Pahalgam (315 kms from Jammu to
Pahalgam) > Chandanwari > Pissu Top > Sheshnag > Panchtarni >
Amarnath Cave – 50 kms from Chandanwari to the Holy Cave.
2.
Jammu > Udhampur > Patnitop > Kud
> Ramban > Banihal > Qazigund > Anantnag > Srinagar > Baltal (414
kms from Jammu to Baltal) > Amarnath Cave – 14 kms from Baltal to the Holy
Cave.
Pilgrims can also complete
this Yatra in a shorter span by availing of the Helicopter rides which start at
Pahalgam and at Baltal and back. Ponies are another alternative for people who
can’t walk or fly in Helicopters.
6, 34,000 people from all
over India and the world visited Amarnath Yatra in 2011 – the highest ever!
Jammu & Kashmir Tourism
Department along with the Bhole Bhandari Charitable Trust are gearing up for
more visitors in 2012. Registration Counters have been increased from 149 to
274 counter and additional tent-accommodation facilities are underway – being freely
offered by Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Department, Bhole Bhandari Charitable
Trust and many other non-Government Charitable Organizations. Helicopter fare
from Pahalgam and Baltal to Amarnath Cave has been slashed by 40% in order to
make it more convenient for aged pilgrims who are daring this Yatra these days.
Security has been revved up along the route to make it naturally safe for the
pilgrims.
The one thing that is
reiterated as mandatory by the Shrine Board is a fitness test and a medical
certificate issued by Registered Medical Practitioner for the pilgrim, without
which, the pilgrim is not allowed on the Yatra as 107 pilgrims lost their lives
due to Cardiac arrest on Amarnath Yatra in 2011 and the Shrine Board is
concerned for the safety of the pilgrims. So, take this seriously people.
Besides the Darshan of the
Shiva Linga in Amarnath Cave, the amazing aspect of this Yatra is the route to
the Holy Amarnath Cave which is awesome and overwhelming and gives a sample of
the glorious Kashmir terrain. And reciting what my colleague recently taught me - Bol Har Har Mahadev!
