SRINAGAR: In order to provide an opportunity for millions of devotees of Baba Amarnath Ji across the globe who could not come for the Yatra this year, the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) is extending the online facility for performing virtual Pooja, Virtual Hawan, Prasad Booking etc., so that the devotees have a personalized experience of the of godliness and bliss of the holy cave shrine.
In an official communiqué, it was informed that the devotees can book their Pooja, Hawan, and Prasad online, and priests at the holy cave will offer it in the devotee’s name, besides the Prasad will be subsequently delivered at doorsteps of the devotees.
On the occasion, CEO, SASB, Nitishwar Kumar noted that the online services can be booked through Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board’s website www.shriamarnathjishrine.com by clicking Book Online Pooja/ Hawan/Prasad link & through the Board’s Mobile application (which may be downloaded through the link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ncog.shriamarnath , by paying Rs 1100/- for virtual Pooja, Rs. 1100/- for Prasad booking (with 5 gm silver coin of Shri Amarnathji), Rs. 2100/- for Prasad booking (with 10 gm silver coin of Shri Amarnathji ) Rs. 5100/- for the special hawan or combination of any of the above, the communiqué said.
The Virtual Pooja or Hawan would be carried out by the Pujaris at the Cave shrine by pronouncing the Name and Gotra of the devotee along with chanting of Mantras and Shlokas, it further said.
‘Maximizing the use of available technology and digitization, the devotees would be let in a virtual online room through Jio meet application wherein they can have a special virtual Pooja and Darshan of Lord Shiva,’ the communiqué quoted Kumar as saying.
SASB has made an arrangement with the Postal Department for dispatching Prasad within 48 hours and once the booking is done, the Shrine Board would share the link and date/time on the registered mobile number/ e-mail id of the devotee, said the communiqué.
The portal has been developed by Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board with the help of National Informatics Centre, J&K.
Public WiFi zones activated at 3 vital locations for visiting pilgrims in Jammu
In a bid to facilitate Amarnath pilgrims to stay connected with their families back home, the Jammu Smart City Limited (JSCL) on Saturday set up WiFi zones at three vital locations including the base camp Bhagwati Nagar here, an official said.
The two other locations where the WiFi zones were established are Jammu railway station and the main bus stand, the official said.
The official said the three locations were among over two dozen already identified places in the city where the WiFi services are planned to be installed under the smart city mission for the benefit of the students and the business community besides the visiting tourists.
JSCL, a special purpose vehicle constituted in August 2017 by the Jammu and Kashmir government for the implementation of smart city development projects in Jammu city, had signed an agreement with service provider LMES to install WiFi hotspots at 20 more locations in November last year.
The officials said any user can avail the Public WiFi facility which is free of cost up to 500 MB after a login and validation through a One Time Password.
Amarnath pilgrims camping in Jammu have welcomed the facility and said this will enable them to remain connected with their families back home.
“The prepaid mobile SIM connections are not working in Jammu and Kashmir once you enter the Union Territory. The installation of the WiFi facility is a welcome step by the government,” Arjun Kumar, a pilgrim, said.
Meanwhile, Amarnath pilgrims reaching Jammu from different parts of the country demanded opening of many more counters to facilitate their smooth registration.
Six counters including the one for Sadhus are already functional for ‘Tatkal’ registration of pilgrims intending to pay obeisance at the 3,880 metre high holy cave of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas.
Five counters have been established for Tatkal registration of the pilgrims at Vaishnavi Dham, Mahajan Sabha, Panchayat Ghar and two at Geeta Bhawan and Ram Mandir for the registration of Sadhus, while a token counter has also been established at Saraswati Dham for the convenience of pilgrims and crowd management.
Many pilgrims complained about standing in long queues for hours and demanded the setting up of more counters.
Deputy Commissioner Jammu Avny Lavasa on Saturday paid a surprise visit to the Jammu railway station to inspect the arrangements for the Yatra.
The Deputy Commissioner visited the RFID centre established at the Tourist Railway Centre building within the premises of Railway Station.
She also inspected the Volunteer Help Desks established by district administration, in addition to counters and help desks established by Government Railway Police, at different places in the railway station to guide and help yatri passengers, an official spokesman said.
The Deputy Commissioner also reviewed the security and other arrangements including token and registration services at the railway station, Vaishnavi Dham and Panchayat Bhawan.
