Srinagar, Aug 28 (IANS) With the arrival of the ‘Chhari Mubarak’ (Lord Shiva’s Holy Mace) at the Shri Amarnath ji shrine on Friday and the final 'puja' held inside the cave shrine, SANJY-2026 concluded officially, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.
Officials of the Shri Amarnath ji Shrine Board (SASB), headed by Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, that manages the affairs of the annual pilgrimage, said the 57-day annual Amarnath Yatra concluded coinciding with Raksha Bandhan, following the final traditional puja and arrival of the holy mace, Chhari Mubarak, at the sacred cave shrine.
Mahant Deependra Giri, the custodian of the holy mace, led morning prayers and Vedic chanting inside the 3880 metre-high cave shrine.
L-G Sinha performed the 'Samapan Puja' to mark the formal end of the yatra, thanking security forces, local residents, and volunteers for the services.
The Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2026 (SANJY-26) ended peacefully without any terror-related incident. Security was unprecedented this time, and even helicopter services were not allowed.
As per the SASB estimate, over 4.80 lakh devotees performed the spiritual pilgrimage from the north Kashmir traditional Pahalgam base camp route and the shorter Baltal base camp route this year.
Due to high altitude sickness and cardiac failure, 42 pilgrims died of natural causes during this year’s Yatra.
The ultimate culmination of the pilgrimage timeline includes the return journey and ritual river immersion (Visarjan) in the Lidder River in Pahalgam on August 30.
Earlier, authorities stopped the movement of Yatris from both base camp routes after tracks were damaged by heavy rain, cloudbursts, and landslides from August 9. Subsequently, maintenance work of the track was carried out.
The cave shrine situated in the Kashmir Himalayas in south Kashmir Anantnag district houses an ice stalagmite structure that waxes and wanes with the phases of the moon.
Devotees believe the ice stalagmite structure symbolises the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.
--IANS
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