Amid the chanting of Vedic mantras, first prayers (Pratham Puja) for this year’s Amarnath yatra were held at the holy cave shrine on 14 June.
Pratham Puja is held on the auspicious occasion of Jyeshtha Purnima every year, to seek the blessings of Lord Amarnath for the peaceful conduct of the annual yatra or pilgrimage.
The Hindu pilgrimage takes place this year from 30 June to 11 August.
Performing the first worship, the Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) Nitishwar Kumar prayed for the smooth conduct of the yatra and well-being of the pilgrims. He also encouraged the devotees from across the country to take part in the 43-day long yatra.
The SASB has now put in place all the requisite arrangements for facilitating a safe and hassle-free Amarnath yatra, which will be held this after a gap of two years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The holding capacity for yatris (pilgrims) has been doubled with respect to previous years, Kumar said.
Special arrangements have been made for virtual puja, virtual hawan and online booking of prasad for the devotees. The facilities may be availed by visiting the link in www.jksasb.nic.in.
Morning and evening aarti (6.00-6.30 am and 5.00-5.30pm respectively) will be held during the entire period of the yatra.
Darshan (viewing) will be available for devotees through live telecast of the aarti on www.shriamarnathjishrine.com/AartiLive.html or through the Shrine Board’s Android-based application which may be downloaded from GooglePlay.
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