The 40 day long annual ‘yatra’ to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in South Kashmir Himalayas will commence on June 29. An official spokesman said to safeguard the safety and security of pilgrims, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has decided that the yatra will start on June 29 and conclude on Shravan Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) on August 7. This year’s yatra will be shorter by eight days against last years 48 days.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor and chairman of SASB, N N Vohra presided over the 32nd meeting of the shrine board held in New Delhi today. It said pilgrims will be allowed to register date-wise and route-wise for this year’s yatra considering the existing tracks and available infrastructure can handle 7,500 yatris, each day.Advanced registration for the journey will start on March 1, the spokesman said.