According to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, the ice lingam inside the cave has fully formed this year. There had been apprehensions that the ice lingam may not take form completely owing to global warming and shifting of glaciers.
With the weather playing fickle and heavy rains washing away a portion of the shorter Baltal route, the annual trek to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath was suspended for the second day on Monday, officials said.
The traditional Pahalgam route for the annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in Kashmir will open on July 9, an official of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board said in Srinagar on Monday.
Four pilgrims and an Army jawan have died of cardiac arrest en route to the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir, taking the death toll in the ongoing yatra to 37, officials said on Friday. The jawan, identified as Naik Sant Lal, a resident of Haryana, collapsed during patrolling in Brarimarg area along the Baltal-cave route, the officials said. Lal was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead.
The 'pratham pujan' which marks the beginning of the annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath was held on Wednesday at Panjtarni, on the Pahalgam-cave shrine trek.
The 45-day annual Hindu pilgrimage to the Himalayan shrine of Amarnath ended on Saturday after the traditional puja inside the shrine. The Shravan Purnima, which coincides with Raksha Bandhan festival, witnessed religious fervour with the arrival at the cave shrine situated at a height of 3,880 metres after a night halt at Panjtarni.
Police said the tragedy was caused by loosening of the stones by recent rains and high velocity winds near the holy cave.
The Medal for Gallantry recipients also included Humayun Bhat, a deputy superintendent of police who was one of four officers to lay down their lives during an encounter with terrorists in south Kashmir's Kokernag in September 2023.
Over five thousand pilgrims who left for the holy cave of Amarnath on Tuesday morning from north Kashmir's Baltel route had to abort the arduous uphill trek as the weather turned worse.
Expressing its reluctance to quash criminal proceedings against activist Swami Agnivesh for allegedly making a controversial statement about the Amarnath pilgrimage, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said people's sentiments cannot be taken for granted. A bench of justices H L Dattu and C K Prasad, which was about to dismiss Agnivesh's petition seeking quashing of the criminal proceedings, adjourned the matter for Monday after he pleaded for more time to put forth his case.
The Amarnath yatra is not only a great bondage between the Hindu pilgrims and local Muslims who facilitate the yatra, but has also helped maintained a deep relationship in thought and aspiration between Kashmir and other parts of India that has existed for thousands of years.
Glimpses of the Pratham Pooja at the Amarnath shrine in Kashmir's Anantnag district.
The Manali-Leh National Highway-3 was blocked after heavy rainfall triggered landslide in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Friday.
The Governor also stressed on coordinated efforts between agencies and the shrine board for an incident-free 'yatra' like in the past three years.
Ten people were injured in the incident, including six men, three women and one child.
A month after a deadly terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, locals in the south Kashmir resort town are facing mounting livelihood losses. Despite a massive crackdown by security forces, the perpetrators of the attack have evaded capture. Tourists have stopped visiting Pahalgam, leaving businesses struggling to survive. Local residents say the situation is becoming desperate and call for government intervention to help revive the tourism industry.
The numbers nosedived to 2810 on July 23, a day after the Tanda army camp attack, followed by 2802 on July 24, 2516 on July 25, 2343 on July 26 and 1735 on July 27, they said.
The annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath took off on Sunday as the first batch of pilgrims set off from winter capital Jammu in the morning.
The encounter broke on Monday when the terrorists opened fire on an army convoy, on its way to Srinagar, at Qazigund on Jammu-Srinagar national highway. One soldier was killed in the attack while another sustained injuries.
This timeline details major terror attacks on civilians in Kashmir since 2000. It highlights incidents targeting the Sikh community, Amarnath pilgrims, and other civilians, including a massacre of Kashmiri Pandits. The timeline also notes attacks on security personnel, including the 2019 Pulwama attack.
Leaders across the political spectrum, actors and many others have condemned the Amarnath Yatra terror attack, in which terrorists killed seven and injured 19 others.
Undettered by the grenade attack on pilgrims at Baltal, 18th batch of 1,259 pilgrims left for the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas on Friday.
Describing the Amarnath yatra as the most secular pilgrimage in the world, Jammu and Kashmir Governor S K Sinha said it symbolises the pluralistic ethos of Kashmir.
A severe cold wave has intensified across North India, with Delhi recording its lowest temperature of the season. Rajasthan experienced sub-zero temperatures, and several states have issued alerts and closed schools due to the extreme conditions.
'The Pahalgam terror attacks and the conflict that followed were a big blow to local tourism.' 'And just when things were starting to go back to normal, the floods, caused by heavy rain, spoiled all chances of a bounce-back this season.'
A 55-year-old pilgrim and a porter died en route to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, taking the death toll during the ongoing pilgrimage to 32, officials said.
In wake of the last year's attack, special gadgets and new and better technology have been used to further strengthen the security.
Even as India is slowly recovering from a series of blasts and terror alerts, the CRPF recovered 1.5 kg Improvised Explosive Device from the Amarnath yatra route in Srinagar Valley on Thursday.
The deployment of the troops and various orders gave rise to the speculations about some major decision in the offing regarding the Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
The encounter broke out when a joint search party of the army and police launched a search operation, based on a specific intelligence, in remote Bihali area of Basantgarh in the district this morning. Reinforcements have been rushed in and a massive search operation is going on despite bad weather.
Army troops opened fire after noticing suspicious movement in a forward area near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district, while security forces conducted searches at more than a dozen places in Poonch, Samba, and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said.
Delhi recorded its coldest January morning in three years with the minimum temperature dropping to 3 degrees Celsius. Cold wave conditions are expected to persist, and air quality has deteriorated to the 'very poor' category.
Days after the Pahalgam terror attack, Jammu and Kashmir authorities have deported 59 Pakistani nationals, including the mother of Shaurya Chakra awardee Constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh. The Pakistani nationals were living in the valley for decades and were transported to Punjab for repatriation. However, the mother of the deceased soldier was later allowed to stay back. The deportation comes after the Indian government announced a slew of measures against Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the downgrading of diplomatic relations.
Amidst all the brouhaha over the Amarnath land row, the chhari mubarak or the holy mace of Shiva reached Pahalgam on Monday afternoon, marking the final phase of the ongoing two-month Amarnath yatra, official sources said.
'I believe that Baba Budha Amarnath saved me.'
At least eight persons were killed in a cloudburst near the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas on Friday evening, damaging 25 tents and three community kitchens, officials said.
The annual Amarnath yatra began on Tuesday amid tight security with devotees leaving for the cave shrine from Jammu.
The delayed timing of J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's admission has more to do with deflecting the thrust of the Opposition attack on the prime minister and Union home minister during the monsoon session of Parliament, points out Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
