The registration process for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage commenced on Monday in Jammu, witnessing a large turnout of devotees at designated bank branches eager to secure permits for the sacred journey.
The 52-day pilgrimage to the revered 3,880-meter-high cave shrine in south Kashmir is scheduled to commence on June 29 and conclude on August 19, as announced by the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). Two routes are available for the pilgrimage: the traditional 48-km route through Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag and the shorter but steep 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir. “The advance registration process has commenced today at bank branches here. This exercise is being conducted at 540 branches of PNB (Punjab National Bank) across the country,” stated an official involved in the registration process.
The registration process has been streamlined with Aadhaar authentication-based form generation, replacing the manual procedure used in 2022, according to officials.
The new system will generate forms automatically.
At the designated PNB branch in Rehari, adorned with flowers and festive decorations, prospective Amarnath pilgrims queued up since early morning for registration.
“We are eager to be part of the first batch of pilgrims embarking on the yatra to the cave shrine. Our registration process is complete, and we are delighted,” shared Suman Devi of Janipur.
The schedule for the pilgrimage was finalized during a meeting of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) chaired by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday.
The yatra will commence simultaneously from both the traditional Pahalgam and Baltal routes, officials confirmed.
Additionally, the shrine board will facilitate live telecast of morning and evening “aarti” (prayers) for devotees worldwide.
A total of 542 bank branches across the country have been designated by the board for pilgrim registration, with the facility also available on its official website.
As per the board’s guidelines, individuals below the age of 13 or above 75 years, and pregnant women with more than six weeks’ gestation, will not be registered for the yatra.