July 5: The Amarnath Yatra, which began last week, was temporarily suspended from the Pahalgam route on Tuesday morning amid bad weather. The annual 43-day pilgrimage is held from the twin base camps – Nunwan in Pahalgam of south Kashmir’s Anantnag and Baltal camp in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
Around 3,000 pilgrims were stopped at the Nunwan base camp on the Pahalgam axis on Tuesday morning, officials said. Another batch of around 4,000 pilgrims that left Jammu for the Pahalgam route were stopped at Yatri Niwas in Chanderkote in the Ramban district. Pahalgam is about 90 km from Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir capital.
Around 2,000 pilgrims who left from Jammu for the Baltal route were, however, allowed to proceed.
Since June 30, more than 72,000 pilgrims are reported to have offered their prayers at the Amarnath cave shrine, It is scheduled to end on August 11 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. (Agencies)
