After the suspension for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Amarnath Yatra 2022 is set to commence on June 30 and will conclude on August 11, said Nitishwar Kumar, CEO, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board on Thursday.
Kumar also informed that the registration for Amarnath Yatra will begin on April 11 this year.
"Amarnath Yatra 2022 will start on June 30 and will conclude on August 11. The registration will start on April 11. The pilgrims can also register online through the website and mobile app of the Shrine Board," the board official told ANI.
He said that a Yatri Niwas has been made in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir which can accommodate 3000 pilgrims. The board is expecting an average footfall of more than three lakh pilgrims in the shrine this year.
"Registration for Yatra will start on April 11 in 446 Branches of Jammu and Kashmir Bank, PNB Bank, Yes Bank and 100 branches of SBI Bank across the country. We're expecting more than three lakh pilgrims. In Ramban, a Yatri Niwas has been made which can accommodate 3000 pilgrims," he stated.
He further added, "RFID will be given to pilgrims by which the Shrine board can track the pilgrims. The insurance coverage period for pony handlers increased to one year. The insurance cover for pilgrims increased from Rs 3 lakh to 5 lakh this year."
Out of all Hindu deities, Lord Shiva is worshipped not only by Indians but also by people of other countries. To get closer to their revered God, who appears on this earth in the unique form of an ice Lingam, millions of devotees trek through the daunting mountains to Shri Amarnathji Shrine in South Kashmir every year in the summer months to pay their obeisance.
The Amarnath Yatra could not be held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even in 2019, the yatra was suspended a few days before August 5, when the Centre abrogated Article 370 and revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, dividing the state into two union territories.
( With inputs from ANI )
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