Baltal: The annual Amarnath Yatra to the holy cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas has been a shining example of Hindu-Muslim bonhomie as the local population has not only welcomed, but assisted the hundreds and thousands of Shiva devotees in their arduous journey of faith.
The support of the local Muslims has been instrumental for the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage year after year, irrespective of the political atmosphere or security scenario in the rest of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Muslims put up tents for the pilgrims to stay, provide palanquins and pony services for those devotees who cannot undertake the difficult trek to the 3,888-metre-high cave shrine housing a naturally formed ice-lingam — the edifice of Lord Shiva. And they are also the first responders in case of any emergency.
The services have more to do with keeping the traditional communal harmony alive than the economic aspects.
“The necessary arrangements and other things that we need are taken care of by our Muslim brothers. From cleanliness to the ‘prasad’, pony, ‘palkis’ — all the help is rendered by local Muslims. This brotherhood is an example for the world. I have not witnessed a better example of brotherhood than this anywhere else and I travel across India,” Sadhu Nagaraj, here for the Yatra, said.
A local who works as a caretaker for the belongings of the pilgrims said they provide their services for free because of the age-old brotherhood.
“We come here for the yatris. We keep their bags, cameras, mobile phones here and take care of those for free. This is our brotherhood. We are keeping Kashmiriyat alive,” he said.
Expressing satisfaction over the support of the Muslims, a pilgrim said the locals have left no stone unturned to make the Yatra successful.
“The locals have provided a huge support. They have left no stone unturned. If we seek one item from them, they provide two,” the pilgrim said.
For the locals, the Yatra is also an opportunity to earn their livelihood.
“We come here when the Yatra starts. We earn our livelihood for the month by carrying the bags of the pilgrims up to the holy cave and back. The pilgrims cannot carry the heavy bags, so we carry those for them,” a man who carries the pilgrims’ bags on his shoulders for a to-and-fro mountainous journey of about 25 kilometres said.
“We carry the pilgrims, especially the older ones, on palkis. We carry them on our shoulders. It also provides us an opportunity to earn our livelihood,” another local service provider who carries the pilgrims on palanquins said.
For many locals, the Yatra symbolises Hindu-Muslim unity.
“We Muslims help the Hindu community members. It symbolises our unity,” one of them said.
Another appealed to Hindus across the country to come for the Yatra, saying there is no danger or trouble in Kashmir.
“We are ready to welcome you and lend you every help,” he added.
Over 6,000 Amarnath pilgrims leave Jammu for Kashmir
Jammu, Jul 05: The sixth batch of more than 6,000 Amarnath pilgrims left the Jammu city in the early hours of Tuesday for the twin base camps in Kashmir, officials said.
The 62-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,888-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas commenced from the twin tracks of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on July 1.
The officials said the pilgrim footfall at the shrine is likely to cross the 50,000 mark later in the day as the Yatra is progressing smoothly, with devotees from across the country thronging the base camps to have a glimpse of the naturally formed ice-Shivlingam and offer their prayers.
A total of 6,107 pilgrims, including 1,203 women, 193 seers and 31 children, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here for the valley in a convoy of 244 vehicles amid tight security arrangements in the early hours of Wednesday, they said.
The officials said 3,929 pilgrims, headed for Pahalgam, left in a convoy of 140 vehicles for the valley, while another convoy of 104 vehicles carrying 2,178 pilgrims was the first to leave for the Baltal base camp at 3.15 am.
With this, a total of 30,269 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the valley since June 30, the day the first batch of pilgrims was flagged off by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
The Yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 31.
