Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday offered prayers to Lord Amarnath at Raj Bhawan in Srinagar.
Speaking to news agency, Sinha said today the first Puja was completed and devotees from all over the country have come for the Amarnath Yatra.
“I have full faith that by the grace of Mahadev and Baba Amarnath, the journey will be successful. I wish devotees have good ‘Darshan’ and hope that they go back home safely,” he said.
Earlier this week, Sinha reviewed the security arrangements and preparations for Amarnath Yatra in Jammu.
He also chaired a review meeting with Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Avny Lavasa, ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh and other officials.
Meanwhile, the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims, who started from Jammu on Wednesday morning reached Nunwan Pahalgam base camp in the Anantnag district of South Kashmir.
The Yatra began yesterday from Jammu amid tight security arrangements made by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) along with the army and the local police.
The Amarnath shrine pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva, located in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, is held from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal.
The Jammu and Kashmir government had cancelled the annual Amarnath pilgrimage due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in 2020 and 2021 after a discussion with Amarnathji Shrine Board members.
Security has been tightened in Jammu and Kashmir with special emphasis on the use of over 130 sniffer dogs on the vehicle routes heading towards the shrine to ensure safe pilgrimage amid heightened terror threats.
A top government official, requesting anonymity, told news agency that this is the first time when the security forces have been using a maximum number of sniffer dogs to check the use of explosives by terrorists to disrupt the 43-day annual pilgrimage beginning on June 30.