Around 400 pilgrims from Mumbai set off by train on Thursday to join the annual pilgrimage to the Lord Shiva shrine in Amarnath, Jammu and Kashmir.
Multi-Stage Journey via Jammu, Poonch and Vaishnodevi
After travelling to Jammu by train, the pilgrims will travel by bus to Poonch. The final stretch of the journey to the Amarnath cave, located 3888 metres above sea level, is by foot or pony through difficult terrain. Enroute, the pilgrims will stop at Sunderbani and the Mata Vaishnodevi shrine near Katra.
The pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave, where Lord Shiva is represented by an ice lingam, started on July 3 and will end on August 9.
Ice Lingam Shrine Marks the Sacred Destination
The Baba Budha Amarnath Shaurya Yatra 2025 from Mumbai is organised by Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal's Konkan province. The pilgrims were seen off at Bandra Terminus by members of VHP and Bajrang Dal.
‘We Won’t Be Intimidated by Threats’: Organisers
The train pilgrimage started after a series of terror attack on pilgrims after 1993. The pilgrimage was partially suspended in 2019 and totally stopped in 2020 and 2022 during the covid epidemic. "When terrorist groups threatened attack on pilgrims, we decided to conduct a journey every year from Mumbai to show that Hindus can fearlessly travel to the shrine," said Gautam Ravaria Konkan province co-convenor of the Bajrang Dal.
This year, the pilgrimage has seen temporary disruptions due to heavy rains on the route.
