Glimpses from day one of the Amarnath Yatra as pilgrims navigate rain-soaked mountain trails towards the Baltal route.
Security Forces conduct counter-terror mock drills ahead of Amarnath Yatra across Kashmir.
Registration begins ahead of the Amarnath Yatra starting on July 3.
Glimpses from heightened security preparations ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir, June 19, 2026.
The sacred annual Amarnath Yatra has officially commenced, drawing thousands of devotees to the revered 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas under stringent security measures and comprehensive logistical support.
The Amarnath Yatra has been suspended due to heavy rainfall in the Kashmir Valley. The pilgrimage was halted from both Pahalgam and Baltal base camps due to continuous heavy rains, necessitating restoration work on the tracks. A weather advisory has warned of more heavy rain in the region.
Ganderbal's Senior Superintendent of Police Nikhil Borkar accompanied by a team of senior officers inspected the Amarnath Yatra route from Baltal to the Shri Amarnath Cave temple in Ganderbal on Sunday.
The first batch of pilgrims reached Kashmir on Friday for the annual Amarnath Yatra, beginning Saturday, with J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagging off 4,603 yatris in the morning from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas base camp in Jammu under a tight security cover.
The Amarnath Yatra has been suspended on both Pahalgam and Baltal routes due to heavy rains in Kashmir. Authorities have halted the pilgrimage from base camps, affecting the movement of pilgrims.
He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the hiding terrorists fired at the security forces.
Authorities on Sunday temporarily suspended the Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir as well as the pilgrimages to the Mata Vaishno Devi and Shiv Khori shrines in Jammu after the India meteorological department (IMD) forecast of widespread rainfall across the Union Territory over the next few days.
Umar Ganie captures glimpses from the Chhari-Mubarak procession as sadhus and devotees begin the final journey to the Amarnath cave shrine.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of 4,890 pilgrims from the Jammu base camp.
In the view of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives and left scores injured, security arrangements for this year's Amarnath pilgrimage has been tightened.
The annual Amarnath yatra has been re-scheduled and will now commence from June 15. The postponement has been forced by the presence of heavy snow on the yatra route to the Himalayan Cave Shrine located at a height of 13000 feet from both southern Chandanwari and northern Baltal routes.
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.
Use of plastic bags has been banned in Pahalgam, Baltal and en route to the Amarnath cave shrine as part of a master plan to check environmental damage and introduce eco-friendly facililies for pilgrims
The pilgrims have been asked not to proceed to the cave in view of threat of landslides posed by heavy rains, the officials said adding they have been asked to take shelter in the specially erected shelter-sheds on both the routes.
'Definitely, crowd management will be a challenge, but we will ensure we have enough forces at hand to take care of any situation.'
Amid tight security arrangements, the annual Amarnath yatra commenced from Jammu as the first batch of 1,280 pilgrims left for the cave shrine in the South Kashmir Himalayas.
More than 40 food items have been banned at the upcoming Amarnath Yatra and the pilgrims have been advised to achieve physical fitness by walking at least 5 kilometres a day, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board said in its health advisory issued on Thursday.
Officials said with improvement in the weather, the pilgrims were later allowed to move on the traditional 46-km Pahalgam and shorter 12-km Baltal routes. They said the sun had come out in the afternoon and the yatra progressed smoothly after remaining suspended for a few hours
A dozen teams of the NDRF will be deployed to ensure the safety of the people who embark on the yatra from July 1, they added.
The Yatra has been suspended as there has been snowfall at several places.
The Corps commander said Pakistan and its army were desperate to disrupt peace in Kashmir Valley.
More than a dozen Mountain Rescue Teams assisted thousands of pilgrims during this year's Amarnath pilgrimage in the south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said on Monday, as the annual yatra concluded with more than 5.10 lakh pilgrims offering prayers at the cave shrine.
Drones are being used for aerial security of the Amarnath base camp at Bhagwati Nagar area of Jammu city for the first time while at least 20,000 security personnel have been deployed along the two routes.
The annual Amarnath Yatra is on amid tight security, with pilgrims from both Baltal and Pahalgam base camps starting their journey for the 3880-metre-high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas.
Heavy rains were lashing Pahalgam and Baltal sections of Amarnath routes and tracks have become slippery.
Around 6,400 security personnel have been positioned all along the route to the Amarnath cave shrine to foil terrorrist attacks
The pilgrimage will be a big security challenge for the government as Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing a number of targeted killings by terrorists in recent weeks.
The Amarnath yatra was suspended today due to inclement weather conditions in the south Kashmir Himalayas, official sources said in Jammu
The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Thursday as a batch of about 2,750 pilgrims left the base camp in Nunwan, Jammu-Kashmir, for the cave shrine housing the naturally formed ice-lingam in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
The yatra to the cave shrine of Amarnath in Kashmir, situated at an altitude of 3,880 mt, was suspended from both the routes -- Pahalgam and Baltal -- on Tuesday as heavy rains rendered the ardous tracks slippery, sources said.
More than 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid their obeisance at the natural ice Shiva Lingam formation inside the cave shrine last year.
According to the officials, fresh batches of pilgrims were not allowed to leave Jammu to embark on their yatra due to closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said there was no increased threat perception to this year's Amarnath yatra compared to previous years and fears of attack as reported in the media were "gross exaggeration".
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday held three back-to-back meetings with top officials of the security establishment to assess the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir, including the recent killings of civilians, as well as reviewed arrangements for the forthcoming Amarnath Yatra for which the UT administration will provide RFID tags to every pilgrim.
