Pratham Puja held at Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas

Srinagar, Jun 14 (PTI) Pratham Puja (first prayer), marking the ritual beginning of the annual Amarnath yatra, was held on Tuesday on the occasion of Jyestha Purnima at the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

The formal yatra will begin on June 30 and culminate on August 11, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.

"To mark the beginning of annual #AmarnathYatra, Pratham puja was performed on Tuesday on the occasion of Jyestha Purnima at the holy cave shrine of Lord #Shiva," the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) tweeted.

It said Nitishwar Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of the board, along with other office bearers, participated in the prayers.

More than 10 Lakh pilgrims are expected to pay obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, 45 kilometres from tourist resort Pahalgam.

The Amarnath Yatra, which has been opened to the general public this year after a gap of two years, will commence on June 30 and conclude on August 11.

The yatra was cut short as a precautionary measure in 2019 after the Centre imposed severe restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370. Only ritualistic aspects of the yatra were conducted in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. PTI MIJ AQS