‘Chhari Mubarak’ popularly known as the holy mace of Lord Shiva has left for Sheshnaag on Tuesday morning from Chandanwari in Pahalgam to mark the culmination of the Amarnath Yatra.
The annual pilgrimage to the historic Budha Amarnath temple in the Mandi area of Poonch district in the border district of Jammu and Kashmir is underway and will culminate on the day of Raksha Bandhan.
"The 62-day-long Amarnath yatra will remain temporarily suspended from August 23 in view of reduced pilgrim flow and track and restoration works," DIPR authorities said in a statement.
The first group of 1500 Baba Budha Amarnath Yatra pilgrims from various parts of the country arrived in Poonch and were warmly welcomed by the local Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim communities.
"All security arrangements have been done for the Budha Amarnath Yatra which started today. The Yatra will continue for the next 11 days. Best wishes to all the yatris for their journey," ADGP Singh said while talking to the reporters.
As the calendar edges closer to August 31, the administrative machinery in North Kashmir's Bandipora district hums with ceaseless activity, meticulously laying the groundwork for the imminent 'Chota Amarnath Yatra.'
Highly trained for conducting operations in hilly areas and urban terrain, the Garud Special Forces of IAF were initially deployed in the valley in 2007 and 2009 and redeployed in 2017, Commanding Officer of a Garud unit told ANI in an exclusive interaction.
The yatra was temporarily halted due to landslides that occurred along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which connects the starting point of the pilgrimage in Jammu to its destination in Srinagar.
The annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath from Jammu to Srinagar was suspended on Wednesday due to a landslide on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, officials said.