First pictures of holy Shiva Lingam at Amarnath shrine

ETV Bharat brings you the first exclusive pictures of the holy Shiva Lingam at the shrine. Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to commence from June 28 this year in Jammu and Kashmir.

Ganderbal: Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to commence from June 28 this year in Jammu and Kashmir. Every year, thousands of devotees from different parts of the country come to Kashmir to visit the Amarnath shrine.

However, for the last two years, the yatra remained affected due to the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. In 2019, the yatra was canceled midway before the Centre scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5. In 2020, the authorities had limited the number of pilgrims due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

ETV Bharat brings you the first exclusive pictures of the holy Shiva Lingam at the shrine. The shivling in the shrine is formed every year inside the cave as the freezing water drops fall from the cave's roof.

For this year, the registration for Amarnath yatra commenced on April 1. The 56-day yatra to the Himalayan cave shrine is slated to begin from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal in Jammu and Kashmir on June 28 and will culminate on August 22. Keeping the surging numbers during the second Covid-19 wave in mind, it is yet to be seen whether the authorities go on with the yatra as scheduled.