Jammu: The famous Ram temple in the old city is echoing with chants in praise of Lord Shiva as sadhus from across the country have started arriving here to take part in the annual pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
The 52-day pilgrimage will begin on June 29 via two routes - the traditional 48 km long Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the shorter but difficult 14 km Baltal route in Ganderbal. A day earlier, the first batch of pilgrims would leave for the valley from Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar base camp and Ram temple.
This temple has a naturally formed ice Shivalinga and last year more than 4.5 lakh pilgrims visited this 3,880 meter high temple.
The Ram temple in the Purani Mandi area of the temple city of Jammu hosts sadhus and sadhus in its vast premises and government departments extend their support to ensure various facilities for the visitors including on-the-spot registration for the yatra.
Expressing confidence of a hassle-free visit, temple chief Mahant Rameshwar Das said all necessary arrangements including 24-hour free community kitchen service and medical facilities are in place for the sadhus."The temple has been serving them throughout the year for generations. They have been visiting the Amarnath temple to seek blessings and pray for the welfare of the people and the country," the donkey said.
He said that people in Kashmir will welcome the pilgrims as per the age-old tradition so that they do not face any problem.
Praising the role of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and security agencies for the positive change, he said, "Given the improved security situation in the valley, we are expecting a huge turnout of Amarnath pilgrims this year."
Amidst the cheers of 'Bam Bam Bhole and Jai Jai Baba Barfani', the monks and nuns are eagerly waiting for the Yatra to begin.
Ram Baba, who hails from Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, said, “This is my first pilgrimage to the Amarnath temple and I am excited to seek the blessings of my Lord.,
Gurvi Giri, a sadhvi, said she has been visiting the cave temple for the last five years and coming there brings peace to her soul.
Another Shiva devotee said that he had come on foot from Himachal Pradesh in five days. “This is my 25th visit without any interruptions and I feel blessed to be here once again.”
A monk from West Bengal is confident of completing the arduous journey to the temple with the help of a belt tied on his back to overcome pain.
He said, “I have done many pilgrimages across the country, visited Kedarnath, Badrinath and Gangotri.This time it came to my mind that why not leave Amarnath and start my journey.'' He said, he came to know about this on the way. Ram Mandir and others attended here.
The 52-day pilgrimage will begin on June 29 via two routes - the traditional 48 km long Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the shorter but difficult 14 km Baltal route in Ganderbal. A day earlier, the first batch of pilgrims would leave for the valley from Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar base camp and Ram temple.
This temple has a naturally formed ice Shivalinga and last year more than 4.5 lakh pilgrims visited this 3,880 meter high temple.
The Ram temple in the Purani Mandi area of the temple city of Jammu hosts sadhus and sadhus in its vast premises and government departments extend their support to ensure various facilities for the visitors including on-the-spot registration for the yatra.
Expressing confidence of a hassle-free visit, temple chief Mahant Rameshwar Das said all necessary arrangements including 24-hour free community kitchen service and medical facilities are in place for the sadhus."The temple has been serving them throughout the year for generations. They have been visiting the Amarnath temple to seek blessings and pray for the welfare of the people and the country," the donkey said.
He said that people in Kashmir will welcome the pilgrims as per the age-old tradition so that they do not face any problem.
Praising the role of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and security agencies for the positive change, he said, "Given the improved security situation in the valley, we are expecting a huge turnout of Amarnath pilgrims this year."
Amidst the cheers of 'Bam Bam Bhole and Jai Jai Baba Barfani', the monks and nuns are eagerly waiting for the Yatra to begin.
Ram Baba, who hails from Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, said, “This is my first pilgrimage to the Amarnath temple and I am excited to seek the blessings of my Lord.,
Gurvi Giri, a sadhvi, said she has been visiting the cave temple for the last five years and coming there brings peace to her soul.
Another Shiva devotee said that he had come on foot from Himachal Pradesh in five days. “This is my 25th visit without any interruptions and I feel blessed to be here once again.”
A monk from West Bengal is confident of completing the arduous journey to the temple with the help of a belt tied on his back to overcome pain.
He said, “I have done many pilgrimages across the country, visited Kedarnath, Badrinath and Gangotri.This time it came to my mind that why not leave Amarnath and start my journey.'' He said, he came to know about this on the way. Ram Mandir and others attended here.
