Fresh batch of 380 pilgrims leave Jammu for Budha Amarnath in Poonch

Jammu, Aug 12 (PTI) Chanting “Bum Bum Bhole” with enthusiasm, more than 380 pilgrims left a Jammu base camp on Monday for the shrine of Budha Amarnath in the Poonch district amid tight security arrangements, officials said.

The sixth batch of 382 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp at 5.15 am in a convoy of 10 vehicles escorted by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police, they said.

The batch comprising 283 men, 90 women and nine children left in eight buses and two light motor vehicles (LMVs) amid chants of “Bum Bum Bhole”, “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Shri Ram”.

The yatra commenced on August 7 and is scheduled to conclude on August 20.

The Budha Amarnath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the Rajpura village in Poonch’s Mandi tehsil is among the oldest shrines in the Jammu region, drawing large numbers of devotees during the yatra. The yatra concludes with the arrival of the ‘Charri Mubarak’ (holy mace) at the shrine from Dashnami Akhara, Poonch.

The Pulsata river, considered sacred, flows by the temple, where pilgrims traditionally bathe before entering. Thousands of devotees undertake the yatra annually to pay obeisance at this renowned shrine of Lord Shiva.