Srinagar: Rituals for ‘Chhari Mubarak’, age-old traditions associated with the annual Amarnath Yatra, formally began on Wednesday, Mahant Deependra Giri said.
‘Chhari Mubarak’, the saffron-robed silver mace of Lord Shiva, was taken from its abode at Dashnami Akhara here to Pahalgam in Anantnag district for the ‘bhoomi pujan’ ritual.
Chanting Vedic hymns, a group of sadhus led by Giri, custodian of the holy mace, left for Gauri Shankar Temple, Pahalgam, where the ‘bhoomi pujan’ of the holy mace will be held, Girri said.
He said the holy mace will stop at Martand temple in Mattan area for a holy bath on its return journey to the abode here later in the day.
Giri expressed satisfaction that more than 4.25 lakh pilgrims have performed the Yatra this year. The Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3, will end on August 28 coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.
2,051 pilgrims leave Jammu base camp for Amarnath shrine in Kashmir
Over 2,000 devotees left the Jammu base camp on Tuesday for the annual Amarnath yatra in Kashmir, amid multi-tier security arrangements, officials said.
More than 4.36 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the ‘ice lingam’ of Lord Shiva at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine till now.
As many as 2,051 pilgrims left in the twenty-second batch from Bhagwati Nagar base camp here for Baltal in 82 vehicles around 2.45 AM, they said.
The pilgrims include 369 females, two children and 30 foreign nationals, they said.
With the departure of today’s batch, the total number of pilgrims who have left the Jammu base camp for the annual pilgrimage has risen to 1,32,406, officials said.
No pilgrims travelled via the Pahalgam route as the Yatra has been suspended there due to repair work, they said.
The 57-day annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine is scheduled to conclude on August 28.
The yatra resumed on July 25 after remaining suspended for six days from July 19 to July 24 due to inclement weather.
