Jammu, August 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Amarnath Yatra was suspended on Saturday in view of inclement weather and a forecast of heavy rain, particularly in Jammu division, with authorities stopping the movement of fresh batches of pilgrims from Jammu towards the Valley.
Officials said no fresh group of pilgrims was allowed to leave the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu for the Valley on Saturday. The decision was taken as a precautionary measure in view of the weather conditions and the Met Department’s forecast.
The situation will be reviewed depending on weather conditions, while authorities will closely monitor the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which is the primary road route used by pilgrims travelling towards the Yatra base camps.
More than 4.75 lakh pilgrims had already performed darshan at the holy cave shrine till Friday. With the pilgrimage progressing, the number of devotees arriving in Jammu has also declined.
The Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2026 began on July 3 and is scheduled to conclude on August 28, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan. The pilgrimage is being conducted through the Baltal base camp in north Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
The Nunwan base camp route in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam remains unavailable for pilgrims as maintenance work is underway on the track.
The pilgrimage had earlier been suspended for a day due to security considerations on the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, before resuming on Thursday.
A batch of 1,801 pilgrims, described by officials as the 28th batch, had left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas at around 2.45 a.m. on Thursday for Baltal under tight security arrangements. The group comprised 1,347 men, 351 women, 89 sadhus and 14 sadhvis travelling in 74 vehicles.
The Amarnath cave shrine, located at an altitude of around 3,880 metres in the Kashmir Himalayas, houses an ice stalagmite formation that devotees associate with Lord Shiva.
FOLLOW NOW
