New Delhi: Baba Amarnath Yatra (Amarnath Yatra 2023), which is considered to be the best among all the four pilgrimages, has started. The first contingent of Amarnath Yatra was flagged off by Lieutenant Governor and Chairman of Amarnath Shrine Board Manoj Sinha. The first batch of pilgrims will visit the 3,880 meter high cave temple of Lord Shiva in South Kashmir Himalayas. The 62-day journey will start from July 1 via two routes from Kashmir. Every year during this yatra, all the devotees in the entire Jammu Base Camp (Jammu Base Camp) are seen immersed in the devotion of Barfani Baba.
The route to Amarnath Cave is from Pahalgam and Baltal
According to the information, the first way to reach Shri Baba Amarnath Ji’s cave is Pahalgam and the second way is Baltal. If we talk about legends and Puranas, Pahalgam route is mentioned in it, while Baltal route is quite easy and pilgrims who cannot walk for a long time mostly choose Baltal route.
Helmets required, free facility from Shrine Board
Amarnath Yatra has been declared tobacco free this time. That means there will be no sale of tobacco or other tobacco products on the Baltal and Pahalgam routes. Devotees will be required to wear helmets to avoid boulders while passing through landslide-prone areas for the first time during the yatra. Devotees will proceed to the holy cave through the traditional Baltal and Pahalgam route on Saturday. Passengers will have to wear helmets for a stretch of about two and a half to three kilometers on the Baltal route. This facility will be provided free of charge by the Shrine Board. The batch from Baltal route will return on Saturday itself after visiting Himling. So far more than 3 lakh pilgrims have registered. This 62-day journey will begin from July 1.
All necessities available
During this journey, the pilgrims had to face difficulties like phone switched off due to SIM, lack of warm clothes. However, the good news for devotees this time is that in Baltal itself one can buy a SIM with one month validity for Rs 350 to Rs 550. Not only that, it also turns on immediately. Along with this raincoats, umbrellas as well as warm clothes and trekking accessories are also available around. Sale of junk-fried food will be banned. But there are 120 anchorages on both routes. So that devotees do not have to face more difficulties.
This year’s journey could break records
According to the information, around three lakh passengers have registered themselves this time, while it is also being speculated that the travel record may be broken this time. However, in the year 2022, there were only 44 days of travel, while 20 days of travel were greatly affected due to bad weather.