Registration for annual Amarnath Yatra begins across India

Jammu, Apr 17 (PTI) The registration for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage began on Monday with scores of people lining up at designated bank branches across the country to secure a permit.

The 62-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in south Kashmir is scheduled to start on July 1 and continue till August 31.

The journey can be undertaken through two routes — the traditional 48-km route through Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag and the 14-km shorter but steep Baltal route in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir.

“Today, registration has begun at bank branches across the country. The exercise is being conducted at 316 branches of PNB (Punjab National Bank),” PNB Chief Manager Rohit Raina told PTI.

Raina, who has been designated as the yatra registration officer for PNB, said this time it was Aadhaar authentication-based form generation for yatris as compared to last year’s manual procedure.

“Forms were given to yatris manually till last year. Forms will be system generated now. It is mandatory for all aspiring yatris to get health certificate from designated doctors all over India,” He said.

Decked with flowers and bunting, the designated PNB branch here opened at 9 am, ahead of regular timings, to welcome aspirant Amarnath pilgrims who were standing in queues since 8.30 in the morning for registration.

Pilgrims were enthusiastic for registration.

“I want to do darshan on the first day at the cave shrine at Amarnath on July 1. That is why I stood in line at 8.30 am to register,” Sham Lal Dogra told PTI.

The schedule of the pilgrimage was decided at the 44th meeting of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) chaired by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhavan.

The yatra would commence simultaneously from both the routes, officials said.

The shrine board will also enable live telecast of morning and evening “aarti” (prayers) for devotees across the globe.

The board, which manages the annual pilgrimage, has designated 542 bank branches across the country for the registration of the pilgrims, in addition to the facility on its website.

According to it, no one below the age of 13 years or above the age of 75 years, and no woman with more than six weeks’ pregnancy shall be registered for the yatra.