The annual Amarnath pilgrimage began on Wednesday amid tension and heavy deployment of security forces. Tourism Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora flagged off a cavalcade of 53 vehicles carrying 1,272 pilgrims raising slogans of “bam bam bhole”.
The first jatha (batch) of 900 pilgrims comprising men, women, children and sadhus left for the Himalayan cave shrine in south Kashmir on Monday morning chanting Bam Bam Bhole and Har Har Mahadev. Security was provided by the CRPF, ITBT and Jammu and Kashmir police.
The pilgrims are expected to reach Baltal by evening where they will rest for the night before beginning the journey upwards to 3,880 meter for the shrine. The first darshan of the Shivalingam will be by NN Vohra, governor of Jammu and Kashmir who is also the chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), on Tuesday.
Last year, there was a huge controversy over Amarnath land transfer issue when life in Jammu and Kashmir was virtually brought to a standstill for about two months.
The CRPF has deployed 50 companies comprising 6,250 men and officers while the army has set up 97 area domination posts in and around the cave shrine in Lidder valley, besides Pahalgam and along the route in Anantnag, Ramban and Udhampur Districts.
The first jatha (batch) of 900 pilgrims comprising men, women, children and sadhus left for the Himalayan cave shrine in south Kashmir on Monday morning chanting Bam Bam Bhole and Har Har Mahadev. Security was provided by the CRPF, ITBT and Jammu and Kashmir police.
The pilgrims are expected to reach Baltal by evening where they will rest for the night before beginning the journey upwards to 3,880 meter for the shrine. The first darshan of the Shivalingam will be by NN Vohra, governor of Jammu and Kashmir who is also the chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), on Tuesday.
Last year, there was a huge controversy over Amarnath land transfer issue when life in Jammu and Kashmir was virtually brought to a standstill for about two months.
The CRPF has deployed 50 companies comprising 6,250 men and officers while the army has set up 97 area domination posts in and around the cave shrine in Lidder valley, besides Pahalgam and along the route in Anantnag, Ramban and Udhampur Districts.
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