Braving chill and rain, pilgrims proceed towards Amarnath cave
By chennaivision at 4 July, 2009, 4:13 pm
Srinagar, Braving icy winds and rain, more than 2000 yatris, including women and children, today left the Baltal base camp for the holy Amarnath cave shrine.
As many as 2,060 pilgrims also left the Nunwan-Pahalgam base camp this morning after remaining stranded for a day yesterday due to slippery track condition.
A senior officer of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) Madan Mantoo told UNI over phone from Baltal base camp that it was raining in the entire belt since early this morning.
However, he said, more than 2,000 pilgrims left the camp for the cave shrine.
He said the pilgrims, who had performed the darshan of the naturally formed ice-Shivlingam yesterday in the afternoon had also started their return journey.
However, those who had darshan in the morning yesterday reached the base camp last evening safely.
According to control here 2,060 pilgrims, who are in good health and physically fit, also left Pahalgam base camp for Chandanwari, the last motorable halting station on the traditional track.
He said they would be allowed to proceed further only when the officer stationed at different halting station are sure the track is safe for journey.
Meanwhile, official sources said the cave shrine and its periphery experienced fresh five to six inches of snowfall yesterday and this morning also.
About 1.5 lakh pilgrims from different parts of the country had so far darshan of the ice-Shivlingam in the shrine. Majority of them had also returned their homes.
As many as 16 pilgrims besides two local porters have died since the pilgrimage started from June 17 from Baltal.
Meanwhile, a special weather advisory for the yatra, valid for next 24 hours said in Jammu-Udhampur-Banihal-Pahalgam +there would be partially cloudy sky.
It said from Pahalgam to holy cave would again be cloudy sky with possibility of rain or thundershowers towards afternoon.
Similar weather conditions will be witnessed on Sonamarg-Baltal- holy Cave route.
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