Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chief Mohan Prasad Thapliyal said the prime minister offered prayers at the temple for around 20 minutes and was given a greeting card made on a "bhojpatra" (birch leaves) by the temple's priests.
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".
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Terrorists on Monday night killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2001. Five of those killed were from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra. Here are the latest updates:
"As temperatures go up and the snow starts melting, our neighbouring country Pakistan tries to push more and more terrorists into our land. But our army is alert (to scuttle the attempts)," General Officer Commanding of Srinagar-based 15 corps Lt Gen Om Prakash told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Rangreth.
'Ravan had palaces in caves and that tunnels were the highways of that time and ran between prominent cities.'
Private carrier Jagson Airlines, which operates between Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, will start helicopter operations for Amarnath pilgrims with 44 daily services to the holy shrine from Srinagar and Baltal in Jammu and Kashmir.
In the first week, there shall be a cap of 2,000 pilgrims each day, of which 1,900 would be from Jammu and Kashmir and the remaining 100 from outside.
Fresh snowfall was recorded in the higher reaches of Kashmir overnight while the plains received rains, even as the mercury stayed above the freezing point at most places.
An official said the attack appears to be a reprisal for killing of several Lashkar terrorists.
The Union Environment Ministry sent a office memorandum to the state in this regard following directions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said.
Curfew was imposed in the Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir Valley a day after four people were killed and 40 others wounded in security force firing at Gool in Ramban district of Jammu region.
The famous tourist resort of Gulmarg experienced fresh snowfall while Srinagar and other parts were lashed by rains under the impact of western disturbance
Terming the arrest a "major success", the IGP said it was the result of robust security measures put in place by the police.
The 10-day-long annual Ganesh Chaturthi festival began on a low-key note on Friday with several state governments prohibiting public celebrations due to the Covid pandemic and devotees taking the virtual route to pay obeisance and join the festivities.
The Supreme Court on Thursday held that it is government's constitutional obligation to provide basic facilities to pilgrims who visit religious places and directed the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government to ensure proper health and other amenities to Amarnath yatris.
With flood waters receding, the armed forces have stepped up its rescue operations in Jammu and Kashmir
Slamming Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's demand for restricting Amarnath yatra to 30 days, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Saturday.
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.
The Manali-Leh National Highway-3 was blocked after heavy rainfall triggered landslide in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Friday.
Seven pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh and three from Delhi were among the 12 people who died in a stampede at Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Saturday, officials said.
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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 Corps commander said Pakistan and its army were desperate to disrupt peace in Kashmir Valley.
While there was unrest in the rest of the Kashmir valley, the Dal Lake was serene and peaceful.
Five more devotees died en route the Amarnath shrine pushing the toll since the commencement of the annual yatra to 47 even as the number of pilgrims paying obeisance at the cave temple crossed the 3-lakh mark on Sunday.
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.
Under the provision of Section 92 of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, governor's rule is imposed for six months.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which governs the ancient shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala here, on Wednesday announced that Lord Hanuman's birthplace was Anjanadri, a hillock at Japali Theertham located about 5 km from north of the hill temple.
'The spirit of religious faith in Kashmir is inclusive.' 'There an inclusiveness of Islam in Kashmir.' 'An ordinary Kashmiri can be a political fundamentalist, but he can never be a religious fundamentalist.'
The Yatra has been suspended as there has been snowfall at several places.
This year's yatra will begin on a happy note as the ice lingam has already started forming naturally inside the cave, nearly 13000 ft above sea level.
The terrorists opened fired and lobbed grenades at the Army camp in Meshwara area of Samba around 5:50 am, security officials said.
Over 1.43 lakh intending pilgrims have registered themselves for this year's Amarnath Yatra beginning from July 2.
In a bid to enhance preparedness for disaster management among government officials involved in management of the annual Amarnath Yatra starting July 2, National Disaster Management Authority has planed to conduct a three-day mock drill.
The restoration work, held up for more than 200 years, took nine months to be completed.
'What struck me was how content the hermit seemed in his little cave, not at all self-conscious in proclaiming that it was the grace of Shiva that had brought him to Tapovan and it was Shiva who would look after him.'
Authorities in Chamoli district said the toll may climb as about 50 persons from different villages in the area are missing and rescue operations are on.
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