The first batch of Shri Amarnath Yatra pilgrims travelling via the Baltal route received a warm welcome at the Chanderkote Langar site on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on Thursday from the Ramban district administration, civil society members and various Langar organisations.
The reception highlighted the coordinated efforts of the district administration, security agencies, voluntary organisations and local residents to ensure a safe, smooth and comfortable pilgrimage. Officials, volunteers and Langar organisers greeted the pilgrims and extended their best wishes for a successful journey.
Senior officials present on the occasion included DIG DKR Range Sargun Shukla, Deputy Commissioner Ramban Mohammad Alyas Khan, SSP Ramban Arun Gupta, SSP Traffic NHW Ramban Raja Adil Hamid, along with other civil and police officers.
Chanderkote serves as the first major halt for pilgrims after the twin convoys of the Shri Amarnath Yatra are flagged off from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
The district administration said the Langar site has been fully prepared to receive and serve the pilgrims. Elaborate arrangements have been made in coordination with the police, Army, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), Traffic Police, Health Department, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, and other departments to ensure the smooth movement, safety and welfare of devotees during the pilgrimage.
Officials said the reception at Chanderkote reflected Ramban’s tradition of hospitality and the collective efforts of all stakeholder agencies to facilitate a safe and seamless pilgrimage.
The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine, located at an altitude of around 3,880 metres in the Himalayas of south Kashmir, is one of the country’s most significant religious pilgrimages. Devotees undertake the Yatra to offer prayers at the naturally formed ice Shivling, regarded as a manifestation of Lord Shiva.
The 57-day pilgrimage will commence simultaneously on July 3 from the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The Yatra will conclude on August 28, coinciding with the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
(With ANI inputs)
