SRINAGAR, July 28: The traditional ‘Chhari Mubarak’ or the mace of Hindu deity Lord Shiva has been taken from its abode in capital Srinagar for its onward journey to the Amarnath cave shrine in Kashmir Himalayas.
Amid high security the holy mace is carried every year to the Amarnath cave shrine, 3880m above the sea level, one of the holiest annual sites of pilgrimage for Hindu worshippers.
Chanting religious slogans like ‘Har Har Mahadev’, Swami Dipender Giri, the custodian of the “Chhari Mubarak”, led an impressive procession of sadhus or holy men who escorted the relic.
The relic is housed at the Amareshwar temple at Dashnami Akhara Building near the city centre Lalchowk and is being taken for special prayers at the cave which houses an ice stalagmite worshipped by the Hindus.
The annual Amarnath pilgrimage has generated much controversy this year as right-wing Hindu groups accuse the authorities of deliberately having cut short the number of days for the pilgrimage.
The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) was in the centre of the drama after it prescribed a late start due to frozen track and poor weather.
The pilgrimage can start any time but has to end with the Raksha Bandhan festival of Hindus, falling on August 2 this year.
Moreover, more than a hundred pilgrims have died during the pilgrimage so far. The apex court of India took a suo moto cognizance of the incidents and has directed the authorities to augment healthcare facilities for the pilgrims.
However, the management and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah blamed the pilgrims for producing ‘wrong’ medical certificates which declared them fit.
