SRINAGAR, June 1: Continuous bad weather in Kashmir valley is hampering efforts to clear snow-covered tracks to the sacred Amarnath cave shrine in deep Himalayas.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually trek through treacherous mountains in mountainous Kashmir, along icy streams, glacier-fed lakes and frozen passes, to reach the Amarnath cave, located at an altitude of 3,800 metres.
A spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), in a statement issued on Thursday evening, said that the board members officers reviewed the progress of cutting and clearing the pilgrimage tracks.
“The review meeting expressed serious concern over the pace of progress because of the repeated interruptions due to frequent spells of bad weather, rains and fresh snows in the upper reaches,” the statement added.
“A system has been set up for daily review of weather conditions in the next three days.”
SASB also released latest pictures of snow-covered holy Amarnath cave, Panjtarni and Sheshnag.
The pilgrimage, one of Hinduism’s holiest, is due to begin officially this year on June 25 and preparations for it began in early May last.
Kashmir has been experiencing chilly weather and snow at the upper reaches for most part of spring and early summer.
The pilgrimage, one of Hinduism’s holiest, is due to begin officially on June 25.
The Amarnath cave shrine, devoted to Lord Shiva, houses stalagmite of snow, revered as an icon of Shiva and is the main attraction for pilgrims visiting the shrine from all across the country.
More than 630,000 pilgrims had visited the shrine last year. This year, already more than 200,000 people have registered themselves for undertaking the pilgrimage.
