A significant number of people showed up at specific bank branches here on Monday to register for the yearly pilgrimage to Amarnath in order to obtain a permit.
The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) announced that the 52-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine in south Kashmir will begin on June 29 and end on August 19.
There are two routes available for the journey: the conventional 48-kilometer route that passes through Pahalgam in the Anantnag region of south Kashmir, and the 14-kilometer, steeper Baltal route located in the Ganderbal district of central Kashmir.
“The advance registration has started today at bank branches here. The exercise is being conducted at 540 branches of PNB (Punjab National Bank) across the country,” an official involved in the registration process said.
According to the officials, forms for yatris are now generated by the system using Aadhaar authentication, as opposed to the manual process used in 2022.
Prospective pilgrims to Amarnath, who had been waiting in line since early in the morning to register, were greeted by the specially designated PNB branch in Rehari, which opened this morning decorated with flowers and bunting.
“We want to be part of the first batch of pilgrims undertaking the yatra to the cave shrine. We have been registered. It is a moment of happiness for us,” said Suman Devi of Janipur.
The schedule of the pilgrimage was decided at the meeting of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) chaired by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday.
The yatra would commence simultaneously from both the routes, the officials said.
The shrine board will also enable the live telecast of morning and evening “aarti” (prayers) for devotees across the globe.
A total of 542 bank branches across the country has been designated for the registration of pilgrims by the board, which is offering the facility also on its website.
According to the board, which manages the annual pilgrimage, no one below the age of 13 or above 75 years, and no woman with more than six weeks’ pregnancy shall be registered for the yatra.
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