The Amarnath Yatra from Jammu remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Friday due to inclement weather conditions, officials said.
No fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to proceed toward the holy Amarnath cave shrine in the South Kashmir Himalayas, they added.
Pilgrims arriving from outside the Union Territory have been accommodated at the high-security Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu. Their onward journey to the twin base camps at Pahalgam and Baltal will resume once weather conditions improve and clearance is given by the authorities.
Since the 38-day pilgrimage began on July 3, over four lakh devotees have paid obeisance at the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine housing the naturally formed ice lingam of Lord Shiva.
“The yatra from Jammu remained suspended today due to inclement weather and as a precautionary measure. No fresh batch was allowed to proceed toward the cave shrine,” a Yatra information official said.
This marks the second time the Amarnath Yatra has been suspended from Jammu this year. Earlier, on July 17, the pilgrimage was halted due to heavy rainfall at the twin base camps in Kashmir.
Since July 2—when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch—a total of 1,44,124 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base camp toward the Valley.
Last year, more than 5.10 lakh devotees offered prayers at the sacred cave shrine, which houses a naturally formed ice lingam of Lord Shiva.
This year’s 38-day pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival. (Agencies)
