Amarnath Yatra temporarily halted due to rainfall in Kashmir; check details

Officials from Jammu have stated that a group of 4,600 pilgrims en route to the Pahalgam base camp has been halted in Chanderkot, while another batch of 2,410 devotees heading towards the Baltal camp has been granted permission to continue their journey. The yatra is expected to resume once the weather improves.

Officials on Friday (July 7) said that Amarnath Yatra has been temporarily suspended due to bad weather as rain lashes many parts of Kashmir. The yatra was suspended along both the Baltal and the Pahalgam routes.

Speaking to reporters, Senior Superintendent of Police (Ramban) Mohita Sharma said, "The yatra has been suspended and no pilgrim is being allowed to move towards the holy cave shrine this morning. The yatra has been halted in the district's Chanderkote area."

"The yatra has been suspended due to inclement weather in the Pahalgam belt. Heavy showers, which started early on Friday, forced the temporary suspension of the pilgrimage," Sharma added. 

It is reportedly said that the ongoing pilgrimage has encountered a temporary halt at the Baltal and Nunwan base camps due to prevailing weather conditions in Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials from Jammu have stated that a group of 4,600 pilgrims en route to the Pahalgam base camp has been halted in Chanderkot, while another batch of 2,410 devotees heading towards the Baltal camp has been granted permission to continue their journey. The yatra is expected to resume once the weather improves.

On Thursday, the number of pilgrims visiting the sacred cave shrine reached 17,202, thereby contributing to a cumulative count of 84,768 devotees who have witnessed the awe-inspiring natural ice lingam formation in the southern Himalayas of Kashmir.

On July 1, the 62-day annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine located at an elevation of 3,888 meters in the southern Himalayas of Kashmir began simultaneously from the twin tracks of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district. The yatra is set to conclude on August 31, providing devotees with a designated timeframe to embark on their spiritual journey.

More than 3,00,000 devotees have registered for the Amarnath Yatra this year compared to the 3,65,000 pilgrims that visited the holy shrine last year.