The holy and prestigious Baba Amarnath Yatra has officially begun in Jammu and Kashmir. The first batch of pilgrims left Jammu for Srinagar on Thursday morning. The group will reach Srinagar this evening amidst tight security. This year, the number of young pilgrims who have come to see Baba for the first time in the Yatra is quite high. At around 5 am on Thursday morning, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of Amarnath Yatris by showing the flag. At this time, the entire region was vibrating with the chants of ‘Bam Bam Bhole’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’. There was a strange enthusiasm among the pilgrims who came from every corner of the country. Especially the young pilgrims from Rajasthan were very enthusiastic, most of whom are going to see Baba Barfani for the first time.
“We have been waiting for this day for a year. When the registration started, we registered first so that we could have darshan of Baba only in the first batch. If Baba has called and the army is behind us, then there is no fear,” said the pilgrim. The central government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration have made elaborate arrangements to ensure the safety of the pilgrims. More than 70,000 additional central security forces have been deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. CRPF jawans and Cobra commandos are accompanying the pilgrims’ vehicles. While the Amarnath Yatra group is moving along the national highway, other normal vehicular traffic is completely stopped for security reasons. After reaching the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps, the pilgrims of the first batch will start their journey for darshan of the holy Shivling from Friday morning.
A big demand has been made by the BJP regarding the Amarnath Yatra. Jammu and Kashmir BJP’s Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma told the media that this year’s Amarnath Yatra will break all previous records. Devotees have forgotten past incidents like the Pahalgam attack and have come with only their faith and faith to have darshan of Baba. He added, “The crowd and enthusiasm that was seen during the Maha Aarti on Wednesday is still there today. Devotees have no fear or anxiety and have full faith in their security forces. This Yatra has many challenges like weather and geographical conditions, but with the grace of Mahadev, everything will be completed peacefully.”
