Amarnath Yatra 2022: Check how to apply online as registration begins from today

The registration for the annual Amarnath Yatra 2022 is set to begin on Monday, April 11, as the yatra will commence on June 30 and conclude on August 11 after being postponed for two years owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nitishwar Kumar, CEO of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, stated that pilgrims will have the facility of registering for the yatra online also. He stated that one needs to visit the Amarnath Shrine Board's official website or use its mobile application to register for the yatra this year. The Shrine Board's official website is - www.shriamarnathjishrine.com. 

Kumar further stated that a Yatri Niwas has been built in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district, which can house 3000 pilgrims. He went on to say that more than three lakh pilgrims, on average, are expected to visit the shrine this year. The CEO of the Shrine Board also outlined that Yatra's registration will begin on April 11 in as many as 446 branches of Jammu and Kashmir Bank, PNB Bank, Yes Bank, and 100 SBI Bank branches across the country. 

According to Kumar, pilgrims will be given RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags, which will allow the Shrine board to follow their movements. "The insurance coverage period for pony handlers increased to one year. The insurance cover for pilgrims increased from Rs 3 lakh to 5 lakh this year," he added, as per ANI. 

The Amarnath Yatra set to begin after two years

During the months of summer, millions of worshippers walk across the treacherous mountains to Shri Amarnathji Shrine in South Kashmir to offer their obeisance. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented the Amarnath Yatra from taking place in 2020 and 2021. Even in 2019, the yatra was halted a few days before August 5, when the Centre repealed Article 370 and withdrew Jammu and Kashmir's special status, thus separating the state into two union territories.

About the Amarnath temple

It is pertinent to mention here that the Amarnath temple is a Hindu shrine located in Jammu and Kashmir. The cave is located at a height of 3,888 metres (12,756 ft). The cave, which is located in Lidder Valley, is surrounded by glaciers and snowy mountains and is covered in snow for the majority of the year, with the exception of a brief period in the summer when it is open to pilgrims. The Mahamaya Shakti Peetha, which resides in the Amarnath cave, is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, or temples, scattered around South Asia that commemorate the location of the Hindu deity Sati's fallen body parts.

(With ANI inputs)

Image: PTI