Shri Amarnath Shrine Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Naveen Choudhary on Saturday said, "from 7th May on wards, the interested Yatris can reserve their heli-seats for Amarnath yatra through the web based on-line Reservation System by logging on to the Shrine Board's website".
Three persons, including two devotees, were killed and over 10,000 pilgrims stranded as heavy rain lashed parts of Jammu and Kashmir prompting authorities to suspend the annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath on Sunday.
Mohinder Amarnath feels irrational scheduling of the Indian Premier League was a major factor in India's debacle in the Twenty20 World Cup and also questioned the purpose of India's short tour to the West Indies.
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.
Nine people including three women were killed and 33 injured as a bus carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi plunged into a deep gorge after an ambush by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Sunday evening, police said, as political leaders cutting across party lines strongly condemn the dastardly attack.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Omar Abdullah has said his government would not curtail the two-month-long annual Amarnath yatra scheduled to begin in June this year.Hard-line separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani has sought curtailment of the yatra period for what he called 'the preservation of ecology in the Kashmir Himalayas'.
The struggle of Kashmiris for autonomy is one thing. The idea of trifurcating the state -- a Muslim Valley, a Hindu Jammu and a Buddhist Ladakh -- will undercut the very idea of India. India said `no' to nationhood on the basis of religion at the time of independence, and this would also apply to statehood. If it accepts this, or is forced to accept it, it could be a downhill journey for a multi-faith, multi-cultural society, and have a bearing on the future of India.
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.
Two pilgrims and a woman tourist from Delhi died of cardiac arrest enroute the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in South Kashmir, taking the death toll in the ongoing pilgrimage to five, even as nearly 80,000 pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine since July 2.
The yatra from Bhagwati Nagar base camp was suspended on Wednesday, for the second time within a week. Although officials said the pilgrims were stopped at Jammu due to heavy rush at the base camps in Kashmir, sources said the prevailing law-and-order situation in the wake of violent protests across Kashmir Valley prompted authorities to stop the pilgrims as a precautionary measure.
Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti on Saturday said it will boycott the all-party delegation's visit to Jammu alleging that three of its members, including National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, were "responsible for the land row".
A record number of about 1.6 lakh devotees paid their obeisance at the 3,880-m-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the first five days of the yatra, official sources said.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has demanded building of a 'Amarnath House' or 'Vaishnodevi House' for Hindus on the lines of 'Haj House' in Mumbai for Muslims.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has set aside 40 hectares of forest land for use by the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board during the two month long annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine as per the agreement reached between the government panel and the Amarnath Yatra Sangarash Samiti which spearheaded two month long agitation in Jammu.
The army has received inputs that terrorists might try to disrupt the Amarnath Yatra scheduled to commence from June 28, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt General K T Parnaik said Monday.
The Chhari Mubarak, the holy mace of Lord Shiva on Tuesday reached the shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, marking the culmination of the two-month annual pilgrimage.
The month-and-a-half annual yatra to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath took off on Wednesday morning as the first batch of pilgrims left for the shrine from the two base camps: north Kashmir Baltal and south Kashmir Pahalgam amid tight security.
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 pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath via north Kashmir Baltel route was halted on Thursday evening after flash floods washed away a major portion of a bridge in Ganderbal district.
A batch of 429 pilgrims left for the yatra from Jammu. The pilgrims included 32 women and 102 sadhus.
Sixteen Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 16 others injured when a truck carrying them plunged into a deep gorge in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir late on Thursday night.
Several measure have been taken to beef up security for the pilgrimage.
More than 1.35 lakh pilgrims had darshan of the naturally formed Shivlingam since the start of the annual pilgrimage on June 21.
State-owned BSNL has become the first telecom firm to launch mobile services at the Holy Amarnath cave, as well as on the two routes of the yatra.
With this batch as many as 53,995 yatris from different parts of the country have left for the cave shrine since the commencement of yatra on June 10.
The first batch of over 12,000 yatris (pilgrims) left for the cave shrine located at 14,500 feet above the sea level from the two base camps.
After being delayed by landslides for two days, pilgrims undertaking the Amarnath yatra resumed their journey on Saturday.
Five pilgrims, including two women, died enroute the 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, taking the toll during the ongoing yatra to six, police said on Wednesday.
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Over 500,000 pilgrims have so far visited the holy Amarnath cave shrine in the Himalayas, although only 3.50 lakh had registered themselves from different parts of the country for this year's yatra.
"The helicopter with four passengers and the captain crashed 500 meters short of the helipad near the cave shrine on Thursday morning. A woman pilgrim on the ground was killed on the spot while five occupants of the helicopter were wounded," said a senior police officer.
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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 annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir commences on July 15.
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