Registration for the annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir commenced on Tuesday.
A spokesman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board said, “The registration process commenced at 149 bank branches across the country. The e-registration system has also started functioning. The registration has started for pilgrims visiting the shrine from both the Baltal and Chandanwari routes.”
The yatra begins on June 29 and end on August 13.
Registration counters have been set up at 121 designated branches of the J&K Bank, 24 of the YES Bank and four of the District Cooperative Banks, he said.
The Board, at a meeting on February 18, decided to curtail the period of the pilgrimage by 15 days.
Traditionally, the yatra used to run for two months, beginning from June 15.
There has been no increase in the fee of Rs. 15 for registration either through the counters or the Internet, the spokesman said.
Opposing the curtailment of the yatra, the Baba Amarnath Yatri Niyas (BAYN), an amalgam of some 30 religious, social and trade organisations, has vowed to commence the pilgrimage from June 15.
The VHP has also threatened to start the yatra from June 15.
The SASB has defended its decision, saying the step was taken to ensure the safe and smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.
Dismisses rumours
New Delhi Special Correspondent writes:
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, member of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, has sought to dismiss rumours that the Board was under pressure from “anti-religious elements” to curtail the duration of the yatra.
In a statement issued in New Delhi on Tuesday, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar described the allegations as baseless. He said the date of commencement of the yatra was determined with a view to ensuring, as far as possible, that the pilgrims were not stranded as in the past.
The date of commencement was also decided to secure the safety and convenience of lakhs of pilgrims who travel long distances.
On the date of commencement of the pilgrimage, the statement said the Board was not inclined to start the yatra before July 1. However it decided on June 29 as it was ‘Maasa Shivratri' under Rohini nakshtra and Shubha Yoga, “which is good to begin the pilgrimage.” June 15 was not considered an auspicious date, it added.
“I appeal to all those who are planning to undertake the yatra to start on June 29 and not be swayed by rumours,” he said.
