Chillai Kalan Begins in Kashmir

The 40-day chilliest part of winter in Kashmir, Chillai-Kalan, began today on a warmer note as night temperatures rose across the Valley.
Chillai-Kalan, is the period when the chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent and temperatures remain mostly below zero.
People mostly stay indoors during this chilliest part of winter as day temperature also dips drastically with night temperature being mostly below freezing leading to freezing of most of the water bodies including the famous Dal Lake.
Though minimum temperatures continued to remain below the freezing point, they went up by several degrees across the division, increasing the chances of snowfall in the region which has seen dry weather so far.
There was light snowfall in Gulmarg and other upper reaches of Kashmir valley making people to shiver with the cold as icy winds were blowing across Kashmir.
The MeT office spokesman here forecast widespread rains or isolated snowfall over the next 24 hours. He said the minimum temperature increased by over two degrees in Srinagar as the city recorded a low of minus 1.8 degree Celsius, compared to the previous night’s minus 4.4 degree Celsius.
The spokesman said that Pahalgam in South Kashmir recorded a low of minus 2.4 degree Celsius, up by over three degrees from minus 6.2 degree Celsius recorded the previous night.
The minimum temperature in Qazigund increased by four degrees from minus 5.8 degree Celsius the previous night to settle at a low of minus 1.8 degree Celsius. Kokernag recorded minus 1.7 degree Celsius”, the spokesman said.
“Gulmarg recorded a minimum of minus 2.8 degree Celsius, as against the previous night’s minus 3.4 degree Celsius. The spokesman said that Kupwara town recorded a low of minus 4.3 degree Celsius”, the spokesman said.
The spokesman said that minimum temperature in Leh was recorded at minus 6.0 degree Celsius, over seven degrees up from the previous night’s minus 13.9 degree Celsius. “Kargil registered an increase of over three degrees from the previous night’s low of minus 13 degree Celsius to settle at minus 9.6 degree Celsius”, the spokesman added.
This year, chill is more and some people attribute it to the September floods that ravaged Kashmir valley.
Meanwhile, chilly weather conditions for the fourth consecutive day with mercury much below the normal and no sunshine, kept the people indoor today and resorting to different means for warmth in Jammu.
As there was also no improvement in the prevailing foggy conditions, Rail traffic remained disrupted due to poor visibility and maximum trains reached here late behind the scheduled time. However, there was no disruption in flights, which were on time, official sources informed the News.
Almost negligible change was registered in maximum and minimum temperature in Jammu on Sunday in comparison to that of yesterday. Jammu today registered 11.8 degree Celsius day temperature, which was still much below the normal thus triggering cold wave conditions across the region. The minimum temperature witnessed a slight fall from 4.8 degree Celsius (Saturday) to 4.5 degree Celsius (Sunday).
Due to fog and consequent poor visibility, maximum trains were late in their arrival at Jammu. Jammu Mail and Pooja Express reached at 11.30 am and 12.25 noon, respectively, instead of their scheduled time 9.30 am and 8 am, respectively. Sealdah was late by four hours, Jhelum by five hours, Varanasi Express by six hours and Archana Express by eight hours. Similarly other trains were also late in arrival.

Late arrival of trains led to rescheduling of their departure also and therefore passengers had to wait for hours together.
However, there was no disruption in Air traffic and all flights were on time.
According to the Metrology Department, the prevailing cold wave is likely to further intensify in the forthcoming days. Light rains and snow may occur at isolated places in the next 24 hours, Met official said.

Issue of ban on constructions

Hoteliers, residents of Pahalgam fail to appear before AG

 On one hand the Hoteliers and residents of Pahalgam area are raising hue and cry over the ban by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on constructions and repairs of residential houses and hotels and government's failure to find a way out, while on the other hand they failed to come forward to find out a workable solution to the issue with the Government.

A Government spokesman said here that in order to find a way out for repairs of residential houses and hotels a meeting between the counsels of Hoteliers and local residents and Advocate General Mohammad Ishaq Qadri was scheduled in Advocate General's chamber on April 12.

The spokesman said that neither the counsel of the residents nor the counsel of the hoteliers attended the meeting to find a solution to the problems faced by residents and hoteliers.

The meeting was scheduled for April 12 after residents and hoteliers of Pahalgam had a meeting with the Tourism Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Director Tourism Farooq Ahmad Shah, MLA Pahalgam Rafi Ahmad Mir and Chief Executive Officer of Pahalgam Development Authority (PDA) to discuss the issue.

The Minister told the hoteliers and the residents of the area that they have not imposed any ban on constructions and were ready to help them out. The Minister assured them that a way out would be found to the issue legally.

It was resolved that the meeting to discuss the legality of the issue will be held on Monday in which the lawyers of the hoteliers and residents failed to appear.

It is worth mentioning here that in 2010, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court banned the constructions and repairs of hotels in order to save the fragile ecology of the tourist resort.

Last year not a single house or hotel was allowed to carry out repairs under the court orders and even necessary painting was not allowed.

However, after a plea made by the counsels of residents and hoteliers, the High Court recently allowed repairs of the legal residential houses and hotels without masonry work. But it was found that majority of the hotels and houses in Pahalgam have come up illegally without any proper permission from the Government.

It has been learnt that the five-member Enquiry Committee headed by Chief Executive Officer PDA had before the court that out of 177 constructions raised before the existing master plan (2005-25), 174 constructions have been raised without permission while as only three structures are with proper permission.

"Out of 174 structures raised without permission, only 41 were raised before 1980 while as thereafter 40 to 50 structures were raised during every 10 years," the enquiry report with court revealed.

Out of these 174 structures without permission, 122 are residential, 45 commercial, six are commercial cum

 residential and one has been mentioned as other.

The court allowed the necessary repairs following plea by the residents and hoteliers that massive damage was caused to the buildings in Pahalgam due to heavy snowfall and last month's windstorm.

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SASB clarifies report on duration of yatra

Reacting to certain media reports, in regard to the duration of Amarnathji Yatra this year, the Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, R. K. Goyal said that there is need to appreciate that the variation in Yatra duration from year to year is on account of Raksha Bandhan falling on different dates and, as per the ongoing tradition, the Yatra concludes on this date.

In this context, he said "that two years ago we were able to have a Yatra duration of 56 days as in that year the Raksha Bandhan fell on August 24, 2010." The next year, in 2011, Raksha Bandhan was on August 13 and, consequently the Yatra duration was reduced by 10 days, to a total of 46 days. And this year, in 2012, Raksha Bandhan falls on August 2, and the Yatra duration has been further reduced to 39 days, as it is not at all possible to prepone the commencement date because the tracks to the Shrine have heavy snow which takes time to be cleared.

The CEO stated that the Shrine Board is obligated to take into account all relevant considerations while deciding the Yatra commencement date every year as the safety and security of the yatris is the foremost responsibility of the Shrine Board. In this context, the CEO added that keeping in view the sentiments of the devotees, the Board has this year specifically decided to explore the possibility of preponement of Yatra before June 25, based on a professional assessment of the pace of snow-melt, which will be undertaken in the first week of June, 2012.

The CEO further said that in 2013 Raksha Bandhan would fall on August 21 and, consequently, the Yatra would be 19 days longer than in 2012, if the commencement date is the same in both these years. The CEO said that it is not logical to attribute the variations in the duration of the Amarnath Yatra, from year to year, to the decision making processes of the Board.

On this occasion, the CEO recalled that Shrine Board had set up a Sub-Committee chaired by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, an eminent and world known person, to advise the Board regarding the duration and schedule of Shri Amarnathji Yatra. He stressed that this Sub-Committee was set up consequent to an agreement with the BABA Yatri Niyas in June, 2011. This Sub-Committee comprised eminent persons viz. Swami Avdheshanandji of Haridwar, Swami Gyaanandji of Vrindavan, Y.V. Sharma, president, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu, R.L. Bharti, formerly Member, J&K Public Service Commission, Prem Gupta, formerl IGP, Jammu, Dr. C.M. Raina, Asstt. Professor, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Jammu and R.K. Goyal, CEO was its Member-Secretary. He said that the Sub-Committee while evolving its recommendations had held extensive consultations with various interested parties, including BABA Yatri Niyas.

Karan Johar shoots in Kashmir

The year 2012 has kicked off on a fantastic note for Karan Johar. After producing back-to-back blockbusters — Agneepath and Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, the filmmaker has added another feather to his cap — joining a select clique of directors, who have shot in the picturesque locales of Kashmir.

Currently, Karan is canning a love song for his upcoming directorial venture, Student Of The Year in the Valley. “I always wanted to shoot in Kashmir. And this time, it was a perfect opportunity when we got a love song to shoot,” says Karan, whose song is being choreographed by Farah Khan. “We were keen to capture the snow, so Farah and I decided that shooting in Kashmir would be great.”

The 39-year-old filmmaker feels that movies like Rockstar have helped bring back the beauty of Kashmir on celluloid. “What I am most happy about is that (Bollywood) cinema is revisiting such a stunning location all over again. And I am glad that we are also taking it a step further by presenting a different kind of beauty and energy,” he says.

The filmmaker, who has been shooting at places like Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Srinagar, finds Kashmiris “extremely hospitable.” “We have had the best experience ever (in Kashmir). Also geographically, it goes without saying, it’s stupendous. It’s close to how you would visualise ‘topography perfection,’” says Karan, whose Agneepath is currently making waves in the overseas market. In fact, the film recently crossed the $2 million mark in the US.

Karan, whose films My Name Is Khan (2010), Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (2006) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) already feature in the biggest overseas-grosser list, says, “I have been fortunate to break overseas records at the beginning of my career. I’m glad that our banner (Dharma Productions) resonates well with overseas audiences. I feel proud to be part of movies that find a place in archives of overseas (film) business in terms of box office.”

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Places to visit in kashmir

GULMARG

Gulmarg's legendary beauty, prime location and proximity to Srinagar naturally make it one of the premier hill resorts in the country. Originally called 'Gaurimarg' by shepherds, its present name was given in the 16th century by Sultan Yusuf Shah, who was inspired by the sight of its grassy slopes emblazoned with wild flowers. Gulmarg was a favourite haunt of Emperor Jehangir who once collected 21 different varieties of flowers from here. Today Gulmarg is not merely a mountain resort of exceptional beauty- it also has the highest green golf course in the world, at an altitude of 2,650 m, and is the country's premier ski resort in the winter.

 

The journey to Gulmarg is half the enchantment of reaching there-- roads bordered by rigid avenues of poplar give over to flat expanses of rice fields interspersed with picturesque villages. Depending on the season, nature's colours could be the translucent green of spring, summer's rich emerald, or autumn's golden hues, when scarlet chillies festoon windows of village homes. After Tangmarg, the climb to Gulmarg begins through fir-covered hillsides. At one point, known simply as View Point, travellers generally stop their vehicles for a few minutes and look out a spectacle of snow-covered mountains, almost within touching distance

PAHALGAM - The Valley of Shepherds.

Situated at the confluence of the streams flowing from Sheshnag Lake and the Lidder river, Pahalgam (2,130 m) was once a humble shepherd's village with breathtaking views. Now it is Kashmir's premier resort, cool even during the height of summer when the maximum temperature does not exceed 250C. A number of hotels and lodges cater to all preferences and budgets, from luxurious hotels to unpretentious trekkers' lodges, including J&K TDC's huts.

Around Pahalgam are many places to visit in kashmir interest, and because the resort is set between fairly steep hills, it is worth hiring a pony rather than walking. Pony fares are posted at prominent locations.

The most beautiful of these is the huge, undulating meadow of Baisaran, surrounded by thickly wooded forests of pine. Hajan, on the way to Chandanwari, is an idyllic spot for a picnic. Filmgoers will recognize it instantly as it has been the location of several movie scenes

SONAMARG - The Meadow of Gold.

The drive to Sonamarg is through the Sindh Valley which presents yet another spectacular facet of countryside in Kashmir. Situated at an altitude of 2730 m, Sonamarg (‘The meadow of gold’) has, as its backdrop, snowy mountains against a cerulean sky. The Sindh River that meanders through the valley abounds with trout and mahaseer. Ponies can be hired for the trip up to Thajiwas glacier, which is a major local attraction during the summer months.

 

Sonamarg is the base of a major trek that passes along several mountain lakes –Vishansar, Kishansar, Gadsar, Satsar and Gangabal. Sonamarg is also the take off station for the drive to Ladakh across the Zojila, a major pass in the Great Himalayan Range, through which the Srinagar-Leh Road passes.

Amarnathji Yatra - a journey into faith

"The Himalayan pilgrimages are the oldest organised travel system, evolved over time by Hindu sages and embodying the spirit of wander, adventure and spirituality"

One of the holy trinity, Shiva is a living god. The most ancient and sacred book of India, the Rig Veda evokes his presence in its hymns. Vedic myths, ritual and even astronomy testify to his existence from the dawn of time.

Shiva is known to have made his home in the Himalayas. He built no house nor shelter, not for himself or his bride. He was an ascetic, and yet married; he could be both for "he was the wild god sporting in the forest or taking his ease on a cloud."

Legend has it that Shiva recounted to Parvati the secret of creation in the Amarnathji cave. Unknown to them, a pair of mating pigeons eavesdropped on this conversation and having learned the secret, are reborn again and again, and have made the cave their eternal abode. Many pilgrims report seeing the pigeons-pair when they trek the arduous route to pay obeisance before the ice-lingam (the phallic symbol of Shiva).

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Amarnath Yatra 2012 from June 25

As recommended by the Sub-Committee of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board headed by Sri Sri Ravi Shanker, this year Amarnath yatra 2012 will be for 37 days beginning from June 25 and will conclude on August 2 coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.

The recommendations of the Sub-Committee, which was constituted in July 2011 to advise the Board regarding the duration and schedule of the yatra in 2012 and beyond, were accepted in the meeting of the Shrine Board held under the chairmanship of Governor, N N Vohra at New Delhi.

The Board directed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to timely commence the registration of pilgrims and ensure the effective management of the Yatra. He was also asked to arrange a Special Pooja on the day of Jyestha Purnima, which falls on June 4. This Pooja, if possible, will take place at the Holy Cave or at any other suitable location in the Yatra area.

The Board further directed that all possible efforts should be made, in coordination with all concerned agencies, to make a timely assessment to determine whether it would be feasible to consider advancing the Yatra by a few days, prior to June 25. 

In this regard, a specific review of snow melting and pace of snow clearing work would be undertaken in the first week of June. It was further resolved that if pre-ponement before June 25 is found possible, even by few days, the CEO will organize registration of Yatris through a speedy mode like on-line or even spot-registration.

The Board noted that a growingly large number of pilgrims have been losing their lives during the pilgrimage, particularly due to cardiac related ailments. As many as 45, 68 and 107 people had lost their lives in 2009, 2010 and 2011 Yatras respectively.

In this context, the Board observed that time has come to consider more effective approach and decided that pilgrims will have to furnish a health certificate issued by a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) at the time of registration. The enforcement of such a pre-condition had also been advised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The Board directed the CEO to issue a very clear advisory to inform every intending Yatri to undergo a medical check-up to assess his/her fitness for undertaking the arduous yatra. 

Referring to the helicopter services from Pahalgam to Panjtarni, which were started in 2009 on experimental basis for about two weeks before conclusion of yatra, the Board said heli services had been gainfully utilised by over 5000 yatris every year during the 2010 and 2011 pilgrimage.

The CEO informed that fresh contractual arrangements for the helicopter services from Baltal and Pahalgam to Panjtarni are being worked out and the schedules and rates would be notified shortly.

Expressing satisfaction over the measures taken for environmental protection, including the effective operation of two Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), based on the eco-friendly biological treatment, at the Baltal and Nunwan base camps, the Board desired that these measures should be sustained and progressively enlarged and upgraded for the future yatras. 

It was informed in the meeting that a comprehensive plan had been drawn up in this regard, in consultation with Sunita Narain, Director, Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi, who is also the Member of the Board. The Board also approved the proposal for significant augmentation of the toilet facilities at various camp locations in the yatra area.

All the Board members Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Dr Kapila Vatsyayan, Justice (Retd.) G D Sharma, Dr Sunita Narayan, Vijay Dhar, Pt Bhajan Sopori and Dr (Prof) Ved Kumari Ghai besides R K Goyal, Chief Executive Officer and Preet Pal Singh, Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board attended the meeting.

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Met predicts snowfall Feb 13 14

Kashmir valley is all set to receive fresh bout of snowfall as the Meteorological Department has forecast light to moderate rain and snowfall across Kashmir over the next couple of days.

The department has issued weather advisory saying that some places along the Pir Panjal range are likely to experience heavy snowfall. It has also asked people to exercise maximum restraint while traveling by road and air between Srinagar and Jammu on February 13 and 14.

Director Meteorological Department, Sonam Lotus said that a western disturbance is approaching Jammu and Kashmir on February 12, adding that the influence of the disturbance would remain upto the morning of February 14. He said the western disturbance would affect the weather system in the State and adjoining areas.

Lotus said some places along Pir Panjal range may receive heavy rain/snowfall, adding that light snowfall is also likely at few places in the Ladakh region particularly along Drass, Kargil and Zanskar regions.

"The disturbance in the weather system is likely to disrupt surface and air transport systems of the State. During these days the day temperature will fall by four to five degrees while as the night temperature will rise by two degrees. This system is likely to move in a South-East ward direction of Jammu and Kashmir," said Sonam.

A Met official said here that Srinagar recorded the day temperature of 11 degrees Celsius while as the night temperature was recorded as minus 1.8 degrees Celsius. He said Jammu recorded the maximum temperature of 21.1 degrees Celsius while as the minimum temperature was recorded as 5.2 degrees Celsius.

Kargil was the coldest place in the State with the mercury plummeting to minus 18.1 degrees Celsius during the preceding night. It was closely followed by Leh where the minimum temperature was recorded as minus 16.6 degrees Celsius. In the Kashmir valley, Gulmarg was the coldest place as the minimum temperature was recorded as minus 9.5 degrees Celsius.

The world famous health resort of Pahalgam Hotels recorded the minimum temperature of minus 5.5 degrees Celsius while as Qazigund recorded the minimum temperature of minus five degrees Celsius. Kokernag recorded the minimum temperature of minus 4.3 degrees Celsius while as Kupwara recorded the minimum temperature of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius.

Banihal was the coldest place in the Jammu division with the minimum temperature being recorded as minus 1.8 degrees Celsius. It was closely followed by Bhaderwah that recorded the minimum temperature of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, after some days of sunshine the weather remained cloudy in Srinagar on Saturday. Although, Sun tried its best to break the shackles from the clouds the sky turned overcast as the day passed on. By evening the whole sky was covered with clouds and this led to the increase in the chill.

Timely snowfall useful for agriculture

The timely snowfall in Kashmir valley is seen by agriculture experts and people associated with trade and tourism as very useful. Director agriculture, Farooq Ahmad Lone, said the snowfall in January is a blessing for agriculture production. “This is a timely snowfall. The snow will remain longer in upper reaches and orchards. It will help to maintain sufficient moisture in fields and ultimately help to achieve a bumper crops,” he said.

The director also stated

that some parts of the Kashmir

valley were witnessing

a drought like situation for

the last couple of years.

“Various areas of Kashmir

were witnessing drought

like conditions for the last

couple of season. This will

maintain reasonable water

available in the orchards

and other agriculture fields.”

he said.

Lone maintained that

snowfall in the month of

January has always a

positive impact on production,

“This snowfall usually

remains for longer time. The temperature also falls drastically in December and January. The snowfall helps to maintain a reasonable amount of moisture in the fields. Once it remains for longer time, it will help better production and disease free production also,” he said.

The director agriculture said most encouraging thing for the department was that no reports of loss of orchards have witnessed so far. “Our initial reports indicate that there is no major loss to orchards,.” he said.

He also said there is a lot of difference between snowfall in December and January compared with snowfall in February and March. “The snowfall in December and January remains for longer time. This time, it falls in harsher part of winter (Chillai Kalan). It remains longer time and maintains reasonable moisture in fields. The snowfall in February and March is not much helpful for production as overall temperature increases in these months,” he said.

It is not only agriculture officials, who are jubilant with timely snowfall, the people associated with tourism are also delighted to witness snowfall in January.

“The adventure tourist lovers were eagerly waiting such kind of snowfall. The skiing needs at least few feets of snow. A reasonable snow has fallen in Gulmarg. Which is enough to conduct series of ski related adventure tourism activities,” said an official of tourism department from Gulmarg.

The official also said the snowfall will help to conduct different programmes scheduled by department in this season. “The show festival and other winter related activities are on pipeline for the department. The snowfall will definitely help to conduct these activities and encourage tourists to visit Kashmir in large numbers,” he said. A large number of national and international tourists are likely to arrive in Gulmarg. “The snowfall will not only encourage the tourists to come Gulmarg, it will motivate them to stay longer in Gulmarg. Snow is the identity of winter tourism in Kashmir.,” the official said.

A reasonable number of tourists have already arrived Gulmarg and Srinagar to enjoy natural beauty of Kashmir in winter also. The hoteliers at Gulmarg and Srinagar are expecting that the occupancy in their hotels will double after the snowfall. “The tourists like snowfall. When there is abundance snowfall. They come in large numbers. We are hopeful, there would be 100 percent occupancy in days to come,” the hoteliers believe

Chhari Mubarak leaves for Amarnath cave

"Chhari-Mubarak", the silver mace of Lord Shiva was today taken from Shri Amareshwar temple near here for the holy Amarnath cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas, amidst chanting of Vedic hymns by Mahant Deependra Giri Ji Maharaj, the custodian of the mace.

Earlier a large number of devotees, including sadhus, led by Mahant Deependra Giri, offered Puja in the Amareshwar temple, here. Later the Chhari Mubarak left in vehicles for other destination under tight security arrangements.

Later the puja was also performed at Hindu shrines of Pampore, Awantipora, Bijbehara, Nagbal Anantnag, Mattan (Martand), Ganeshpora, Aishmuqam before reaching the Pahalgam late in the evening where the Chhari Mubarak used to have a night halt prior to eruption of militancy in Kashmir.

The holy mace after two days halt at Pahalgam will leave for Chandanwari on August 10 to reach the cave shrine on Shrawan Purnima falling on August 13.

Elaborate security and other arrangements have been made for safe journey of the "Chhari Mubarak’’, to the cave, where so far about 6.30 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance to the self made Ice-Shivlingam since the commencement of the 46-day pilgrimage from June 29.

At Mattan hundreds of devotees besides the office bearers of Tirath Raj Mattan Trust led by M K Yogi joined the puja of holy mace in a traditional way.

Mahant Giri lauded the role of the locals for extending all help to pilgrims and making the pilgrimage successful.

"We will pray for the peace and prosperity in the State at the holy cave," he said and expressed satisfaction that the pilgrimage remained peaceful.

He said the "Chhari-Sthapana’’ ceremony was performed at Shri Amareshwar temple on August 2, where the holy Mace was kept for darshan of devotees.

Earlier on August 4, Chhari-Pujan was also performed at the Amreshwar Temple, amid chanting of Vedic hymns by Mahant Deependra Giri, of the Chhari Mubarak, along with Sadhus who had come from across the country.

As described in Hindu scriptures, Chhari Pujan was an important ritual to be performed traditionally on ‘Nag-Panchami’ (Shravan Shukla Paksha Panchmi) before leaving for the main course of pilgrimage.

Mahant Giri said before eruption of militancy, Sadhus on foot carrying Chhari- Mubarak used to start their journey for holy shrine immediately after this pujan.

After night halts at Pampore, Bijbehara, Martand, Aishmuquam, Pahalgam, Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Panchtarni the silver mace would reach the holy cave on ‘Shravan-Purnima’ the ‘Raksha-Bandhan’ day.

Chhari-Mubarak, one depicting Lord Shiva and another Goddess Parvati will be kept in the temple for ‘Darshan’ till commencement of main course of pilgrimage tomorrow to reach holy shrine on ‘Shravan-Purnima’.

He said, "The True Trust" founded by him has made all the arrangements, including food, accommodation and transportation, for Sadhus and other devotees coming from across the country during the pilgrimage.

It was taken to historic Shankaracharya temple on the bank of Dal Lake on the occasion of "Haryalic-Amavasya’’ as per age old customs last week.

It was taken to "Sharika-Bhawani’’ Temple in the downtown city to pay obeisance to the Goddess last week.

The 46-day-long annual pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, which commenced from June 29, will conclude on August 13 when the holy mace will be taken inside the cave shrine.

The return journey of the holy Mace will start after August 13.

Meanwhile, 1,503 pilgrims left for the darshan of Ice Lingam early this morning from twin base camps of Baltal and Nunwan-Pahalgam.

While 718 pilgrims left via shortest Baltal track, 418 left via traditional Nunwan Chandanwari track. Besides, 267 yatris left by air, he added.

He said hundreds of pilgrims including those who were trapped due to yesterday’s rain fall at Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarni left for holy cave this morning.

While the pilgrims who left from Baltal and Panchtarni in the morning performed darshan at holy cave by late to night others were on their way, he said.

He said 2000 pilgrims had performed darhsan of Ice Shivlingam by late to night. With this 6,29,080 pilgrims performed darshan at holy cave by late last night, and this number has touched 6,31, 080, he added.

He said out of this 6.20 lakh pilgrims had returned to their home states. Majority of them preferred the Baltal track for return, he added.

The weather on entire yatra route was cloudy today however the yatra was progressing smoothly, he said.

A fresh batch of 158 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar Jammu Yatri Niwas for holy cave early this morning under tight security arrangements. Comprising 90 male, 18 female, 50 Sadhus, these pilgrims left in a cavalcade of 5 vehicles.

Meanwhile arrangements for annual yatra of Pracheen Amarnath cave Thajiwara in Bijbehara tehsil of Anantnag district were finalized by the Devasthan Prabandhak Committee (DPC) Bijbehara.

The annual Pooja will commence in the evening of August 12 at newly renovated temple and it will culminate on August 13 evening. The pracheen shrine of Lord Shiva Thajiwara is one of the most prominent shrines of Hindus in Kashmir Valley.

The rush of pilgrims at Budha Amarnath also continued with 426 pilgrims leaving Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas for darshan of the Shivlingam in Mandi tehsil of Poonch district today.

These pilgrims were joined by hundreds of yatris enroute and after a night halt at Poonch they will leave for holy shrine tomorrow morning.

Chhari Mubarak to leave on August 8

Chhari Mubarak to leave for holy cave on August 8

* Yatra likely to touch 6 lakh today

The holy mace (Chhari Mubarak) of Shri Amarnath Ji will be taken from Dashnami Akhara, Srinagar to holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath Ji by Mahant Depender Giri Ji Mahraj on August 8 morning.

Informing this to Excelsior today Mahant Ji said that on its way to holy cave the Chhari poojan will be held at all the haltage places were the Chhari Mubarak prior to onset of militancy in the Valley used to stay for the night.

He said enroute to holy cave from Dashnami Akhara, Chhari Poojan will be held at Durga Nag temple, Pampore, Awantipora, Bijbehara, Nagbal Anantnag, Mattan, (Martand), Ganeshpora, Aishmuqam respectively and it will reach late in the evening to Pahalgam.

He said the holy mace after two days stay at Pahalgam i.e on August 8 and 9 will leave for Chandanwari next day. It will have a night halt at Chandanwari on August 10, Sheshnag on August 11 and Panjtarni on August 12. At all these places the Chhari Poojan will be performed in the traditional way, he added.

He said the holy mace will leave for darshan to cave shrine from Panjtarni on Shrawan Purnima falling on August 13 and after the performance of darshan it will return from the traditional route to Pahalgam and later to Dashnami Akhara Srinagar.

With this the 46 day-long holy Amarnath pilgrimage which started on June 29 will culminate. Besides Mahant Deepender Giri the Chhari Mubarak will be accompanied by a large number of Sadhus and devotees.

Prior to leaving for holy cave on August 8 the holy mace will be taken to historical Shankaracharya temple from Dashnami Akhara, Srinagar by Mahant Ji on Shrawan Amavasiya falling on July 30 for the traditional Chhari Poojan. It will return back to Dashnami Akhara in the evening.

Next day on July 31the holy mace will be taken to Sharika Bhawani temple Parbat in Srinagar for the Chhari poojan while on August 2 the Chhari Sthapana will be performed at Dashnami Akhara by Mahant Ji and other Sants.

To keep the centuries old tradition alive later on Naag Panchmi falling on August 4, the Chhari Poojan will again be performed at Dashnami Akhara Srinagar by the Mahant Ji and Sants.

Meanwhile, on the 29th day of yatra today 5,897 pilgrims left for holy cave from base camps of Nunwan and Baltal today. According to a Yatra Officer, 3,142 pilgrims left via shortest Baltal track while 2,755 left via traditional Nunwan Chandanwari route.

He said besides hundreds of pilgrims who had stayed for night at Sheshnag and Panjtarni also left for their onwards sojourn this morning.

He said 8,000 pilgrims performed their obeisance in holy cave till late tonight, while 5, 80, 625 pilgrims had performed darshan in holy cave till late last night. With this total number of pilgrims visiting the holy cave in last 29 days has touched 5, 88, 625. The yatra will likely touch 6 lakh mark tomorrow and this will be the highest number of pilgrims ever visiting the holy cave in a single year for darshan, he added.

All the pilgrims are in an upbeat mood and the yatra is progressing smoothly, he said.

Besides 28th batch of 911 pilgrims left for the holy cave under the tight security arrangements from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas Jammu this morning.

Comprising 472 males, 132 females, 10 children and 297 Sadhus, these pilgrims left in a cavalcade of 27 vehicles. They had reached to Nunwan and Baltal base camps in Anantnag and Ganderbal districts respectively till last reports came in where from they will leave for cave shrine at the height of 13500 feet in deep Himalayas next morning.

Meanwhile, at a meeting held here today with R K Goyal, Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, (SASB) Preet Pal Singh, Additional CEO, and other concerned officers, N N Vohra, Governor, reviewed various aspects of the ongoing Shri Amarnathji Yatra.

The Governor, who is the Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, reiterated his earlier directions about the effective maintenance of sanitation and cleanliness at all the camps in the yatra area and, besides, cleanliness along both the yatra routes. The CEO informed that a good number of workers are currently engaged for carrying out cleaning on round the clock basis and, besides, all the camp directors have been asked to launch a week long special cleanliness drive in their respective camps and ensure the appropriate disposal of all bio-degradable and non-bio-degradable wastes. The Governor asked the CEO to ensure that all the camps are cleared of all types of solid wastes by 20th August i.e. within a week of the conclusion of the Yatra. The Governor observed that he shall be personally visiting all the camps in the coming days to view the level of cleanliness.

Mr Goyal informed the Governor that the officials of the Shrine Board, various State Government Departments, Army, Para-military Forces and the State Police have been performing their duties in close coordination, for the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage. He added that the Shrine Board would be undertaking a Post-Yatra Review involving senior officials of each of the concerned agencies soon after the conclusion of the Yatra with a view to eliciting their views and suggestions for bringing about progressive improvements in the future Yatras.

Amarnath Yatra By Helicopter

Altaf flags-off Helicopter services from Baltal, Jora, Wani from Pahalgam

Amarnath Yatra commenced today on both Pahalgam and Baltal routes simultaneously with Governor, NN Vohra, paying obeisance at the Sanctum Sanctorum and performing pooja amidst chanting of Vedic Mantras.He prayed for peace, harmony, progress and prosperity in the state.He paid obeisance at the Cave shrine, along with a number of Yatris.

The Governor during his visit to the Cave Shrine early in the morning also reviewed the overall arrangements made for the Yatris and expressed satisfaction at the support extended by the State Government, Army, State Police, Central Para Military Forces and other agencies.

He stressed the need for effective supervision and monitoring on continuing basis, for ensuring smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.

Later, Minister for Forests, Mian Altaf Ahmad launched a sanitation campaign organized by Shri Amarnath Barfani Langar Organisation (SABLO) with a view to maintain cleanliness in the entire Yatra area, particularly in and around the Langar areas. In this context, the SABLO, as its first ever initiative has decided to distribute environment friendly carry bags to the Yatris, to discourage the use of polythene bags.

CEO of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), RK Goyal, President SABLO, Vijay Thakur, General Secre-tary, SABLO, Rajan Gupta and its other functionaries were prominent among those present on the occasion. It may be recalled that the SABLO had presented a cheque of Rs. 2 lakh to the Governor in April this year as a token contribution towards the sanitation arrangements in the Amarnath Yatra area.

Deputy Commissioner, Ganderbal, Showkat Mir, SSP Ganderbal, Imtiaz Ahmad and other officers were present on the occasion.

Thereafter, the Governor visited Pahalgam and Chandanwari and reviewed the Yatra-related arrangements. He interacted with the Yatris at the Cave, Baltal, Pahalgam and Chandanwari and enquired about the arrangements. The Yatris were appreciative of the arrangements made by the Shrine Board, the State Government agencies and other service providers and thanked them for facilitating their pilgrimage.

On this occasion, the Minister for Forests, Mian Altaf Ahmad, flagged-off the helicopter services from Baltal to Panjtarni, while Minister for Tourism, Nawang Rigzin Jora, and Minister of State for Tourism and Home, Nasir Aslam Wani launched the helicopter services from Pahalgam to Panjtarni in the presence of the Governor. The Governor, who is also chairman of SASB, thanked Mian Altaf Ahmad, Jora and Wani for the strong support provided by their departments to the Shrine Board. The Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, Kifayat Ahmad Rizvi and Chief Executive Officer, Pahalgam Development Authority, Altaf Mir were present on the occasion.

The CEO of the Shrine Board on this occasion informed that the one way heli-fare for Baltal-Panjtarni and Pahalgam-Panjtarni has been fixed at Rs 2425/- and Rs. 345 0/-, respectively. Children, in the age group of 2-12 years, will be required to pay half the aforesaid prices.

He further disclosed that from Panjtarni to the Cave, a hilly track of about 6 kms, the Yatris may travel on foot or by Ponies or Palkies, as per their wish. The CEO noted that the one way Pahalgam-Panjtarni helicopter fare has come down to Rs 3450 this year, from Rs 3800 last year.

This year’s Amarnath Yatra, which commenced from Baltal and Pahalgam this morning, will conclude on Raksha Bandhan on August 13, 2011. The registration of the Yatris for this year’s Yatra had commenced on May 10, 2011, through 149 designated Bank Branches, located all over the country.

Meanwhile, the CEO has once again appealed to the intending Yatris to embark on the pilgrimage only after obtaining, in their own interest, a valid Yatra Permit.

Registration for Unregistered Amarnath Pilgrims

Both tracks Baltal and Pahalgam ready for yatra On-spot registration for unregistered pilgrims

In a significant decision, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has decided to allow unregistered pilgrims to proceed to Baba Amarnath shrine from here after duly registering them at Jammu Yatri Niwas, Canal Road, which serves as base camp of the holy cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas.

The Shrine Board decision would help a lot of pilgrims, who have failed to register themselves either through online or with designated branches of Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Yes Bank and some Co-operative Banks.

For convenience of the pilgrims, a registration counter is being opened at Yatri Niwas, Canal Road where the pilgrims would be given on spot registration. However, the registration would be done in such a way that daily quota of the pilgrims didn’t exceed 10,000.

Official sources said only 10,000 pilgrims (5,000 each from forward base camps of Nunwan in Pahalgam and Baltal) would be allowed to proceed to Shri Amarnath ji shrine per day.

SASB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) R K Goyal told that over 2.4 lakh pilgrims have so far been registered for the yatra with different banks as well as on-line.

He said snow clearance operations were a continued process as it kept on snowing even during the days of yatra on twin tracks of Pahalgam and Baltal but the Shrine Board was determined to start the pilgrimage from Yatri Niwas, the base camp of Jammu, on June 28 and forward base camps of Baltal and Nunwan on June 29.

"All arrangements are in place. Snow clearance operations from entire track were going on expeditiously. Everything, hopefully would be in place on June 29’’, Mr Goyal said.

Meanwhile, sources said, keeping in view the rush of Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims and arrival of some other unregistered yatris, there was every possibility that a number of these pilgrims would reach Yatri Niwas, Canal Road, the base camp of the shrine and try to proceed towards Amarnath shrine to have a glimpse of Lord Shiva’s holy Ice Lingam, which is in full bloom.

For such pilgrims, the Shrine Board was expected to open on spot registration for the yatris through Jammu and Kashmir Bank by setting up a counter at the Yatri Niwas itself to facilitate pilgrims to proceed to Baba Amarnath’s holy cave shrine but with valid registration.

Sources said instructions have been passed to security agencies and police at forward base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal to ensure that unregistered yatris are not allowed to leave for the holy cave shrine. Only 10,000 registered yatris would be allowed for darshan from Nunwan and Baltal (5,000 from each track) every day.

The number was restricted to ensure that the pilgrims don’t face any hardships enroute the tracks even in case of adverse weather conditions.

All 130 langars at base camps, highways and twin tracks have started setting up their units at the places entitled to them. The langars would be ready by June 29.

Meanwhile, in Jammu, the civil administration had kept various lodgment centers mostly the community centers and halls of social and religious organizations ready to meet with rush of the yatris if pilgrimage is stopped for one or two days due to weather conditions on the yatra tracks.

Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma said authorities have identified various lodgment centers where the pilgrims would be lodged if the Yatri Niwas at Canal Road was overcrowded. He added that enough space has been identified for lodging of the pilgrims.

According to sources, deployment of Army, para-military forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police has already begun all along Pathankot-Jammu and Jammu-Srinagar National Highways, the base camp of Yatri Niwas, the forward base camps of Nunwan and Baltal and twin yatra tracks.

The deployment would be completed before June 28.

Army is being deployed to man the heights of Shri Amarnath ji shrine while para-military forces and police would take control of security arrangements at tracks and base camps.