Jammu:
Registration for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage began on Monday, as a large number of people turned up at designated bank branches here to secure a permit.
The 52-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre cave shrine in south Kashmir will begin on June 29 and end on August 19, according to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) announcement.
The journey can be undertaken via two routes: the traditional 48 km route through Pahalgam in Anantnag in south Kashmir and the 14 km shorter but steep Baltal route in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district.
“Preliminary registration started today at bank branches here. The exercise is being conducted at 540 branches of PNB (Punjab National Bank) across the country,” said an official involved in the registration process.
It is an Aadhaar authentication-based form generation for yatris instead of the manual procedure followed in 2022, the officials said, adding that forms will now be generated by the system.
The designated PNB branch in Rehari opened this morning, decorated with flowers and garlands, to welcome potential Amarnath pilgrims, who had been queuing up for registration since early morning.
“We want to be part of the first batch of pilgrims to undertake the yatra to the cave shrine. We have been registered. It is a moment of happiness for us,” said Suman Devi from Janipur.
The schedule of the pilgrimage was decided on Sunday during the meeting of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), chaired by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
The yatra would start simultaneously from both routes, the officials said.
The shrine board will also enable live broadcast of 'aarti' (prayers) in the morning and evening to devotees across the world.
The board, which is also offering the facility on its website, has identified a total of 542 bank branches across the country for registration of pilgrims.
According to the board, which manages the annual pilgrimage, no one under the age of 13 or over 75 years, and no woman who is more than six weeks pregnant, will be allowed to register for the yatra.
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