Mahant Deependra Giri reached the Amarnath cave shrine on August 28, 2026, leading the Chhari Mubarak after a traditional journey through the Himalayas via Pahalgam, Chandanwari, Sheshnag, and Panchtarni, culminating in the final puja on Shravan Purnima.
Umar Ganie captures glimpses from the Chhari-Mubarak procession as sadhus and devotees begin the final journey to the Amarnath cave shrine.
Amid tight security, the Chhari Mubarak, the holy mace of Lord Shiva, left Srinagar on Monday, August 4, 2025 for the Amarnath cave shrine. This signifies the culmination of the annual Amarnath Yatra.
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.
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.
Glimpses from the traditional coconut breaking competition during the Narali Purnima festival in Mumbai, August 19, 2024.
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.
Locals believe that the goddess is pleased only after blood, equivalent to a human sacrifice, is shed during the sport, which is witnessed by thousands of people.
Their enthusiasm evident in the loud chants of 'Bam Bam Bhole'.
Jammu and Kashmir does not have an elected dispensation since the Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government fell apart in June 2018.
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.
http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/why-kashmiri-students-are-throwing-stones/20170505.htm
