The annual Amarnath pilgrimage will not take place this year due to COVID-19 pandemic. However, "aarti" will be facilitated online for the devotees.
The decision was announced by Liueutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha after discussions with Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. He also directed officials to make arrangements so that devotees can virtually attend the morning and evening ‘aartis’ at the Himalayan cave shrine.
This will allow them to pay obeisance while avoiding travel and exposure to the infection, the lieutenant governor (L-G) said. Sinha said that at the shrine all traditional religious rituals shall be performed according to past practice.
The 56-day yatra to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva, located in the upper reaches of Himalayas, is scheduled to start from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal on June 28 and culminate on August 22.
The pilgrimage was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Last week, Manoj Sinha attended a meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to take stock of the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, besides development initiatives. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, top security and intelligence officers of central government and Jammu and administration were a part of the meeting.
READ MORE: Amarnath Yatra 2020 concludes after final pooja by Mahant Deependra on Shravan Purnima
READ MORE: Amarnath Yatra cancelled this year due to coronavirus pandemic
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