Registration of pilgrims for the Amarnathji pilgrimage in the mountains of South Kashmir has begun with the designated banks across the country enrolling the pilgrims.
As many as 442 bank branches of Punjab National Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank and YES Bank will register pilgrims for both routes, Chandanwari and Baltal. This year’s 46-day yatra shall commence simultaneously on both the routes from July 1 and culminate on Raksha Bandhan on August 15.
Umang Narula, Chief Executive Officer, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, informed that the step-by-step procedure which the pilgrims need to follow to register for the yatra has been put on the Board’s website, www.shriamarnathjishrine.com
The website also contains the application form and state-wise list of bank branches with complete addresses which the yatris can approach for registering themselves for this pilgrimage.
The CEO said that each pilgrim shall have to furnish a compulsory health certificate while seeking registration. Persons under the age of 13 years or above the age of 75 and women who are more than six weeks pregnant would not be registered.
Narula said that the yatra permits would be different for each day of the week and route, with a different colour coding for each day having a QR code to facilitate the Police personnel deployed at the Access Control Gates at Baltal and Chandanwari to regulate the pilgrimage for the relevant date and route.
Pilgrims who propose to travel by helicopter do not require advance registration as their helicopter tickets shall suffice for this purpose. However, they shall be required to produce the Compulsory Health Certificate in the prescribed format and issued by an authorized Doctor before they are allowed to travel by helicopter.