Amarnath Yatra suspended from Jammu as rain-hit highway closure disrupts pilgrim movement

Jammu, August 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)

The Shri Amarnath Yatra was temporarily suspended from Jammu on Saturday after the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed due to heavy rainfall and ongoing repair work, preventing a fresh batch of pilgrims from moving towards the Kashmir Valley.

Officials said continuous rain in Udhampur and Ramban districts affected traffic movement on the vital highway, leading to the stoppage of the Yatra convoy from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas, the main base camp in Jammu.

The highway had also remained closed a day earlier for maintenance work, though the pilgrim convoy had crossed before traffic restrictions were imposed. On Saturday, no fresh group of devotees was permitted to proceed due to repair work on the Ladha-Samroli stretch in Udhampur district.

Rainfall in the region further complicated restoration efforts, leaving several portions of the road surface muddy, slippery and difficult for vehicular movement. Light to moderate showers continued along the highway route.

Meanwhile, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has shifted registration and token distribution facilities from the Tawi River Front to the Bhagwati Nagar base camp following a decline in the number of pilgrims arriving in Jammu.

The Tawi River Front facility was established as a centralised centre for offline registration, token distribution, e-KYC verification and RFID issuance for pilgrims. Officials said the facilities have now been consolidated at Bhagwati Nagar due to reduced pilgrim footfall.

Since the annual pilgrimage began on July 3, around 4.5 lakh devotees have performed Darshan at the holy cave shrine located at an altitude of about 3,880 metres in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

The pilgrimage route from the Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp has remained suspended for the past 10 days due to track maintenance, while the Yatra continues through the Baltal route in north Kashmir.

The 57-day pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 28 on the occasion of Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.