SRINAGAR, Aug 22: The sacred Chhari Mubarak of Lord Shiva on Saturday began its annual journey from the Dashnami Akhara in Srinagar towards the holy Amarnath cave after traditional prayers and religious rituals.
The holy mace, carried as part of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, will make scheduled halts at several traditional locations before reaching the shrine.
Mahant Deependra Giri, custodian of the Chhari Mubarak, said the holy mace would reach Pahalgam after prayers at designated stopovers.
"We are setting out on the main pilgrimage from the Dashnami Akhara. Today, we will rest in Pahalgam after performing symbolic prayers at the traditional stopovers along the way," Giri said.
According to the schedule, the Chhari Mubarak will halt at Chandanwari on August 24 and Sheshnag on August 25. It will then remain at Panchtarni for two nights on August 26 and 27.
The holy mace will be taken to the Amarnath cave on the morning of August 28, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.
Giri said the Chhari Mubarak would be installed at the holy cave amid traditional prayers and Vedic chanting before returning to Panchtarni for the night.
The procession will leave Panchtarni on August 29 and proceed through Sheshnag and Chandanwari to Pahalgam. Prayers and Visarjan will be performed on August 30.
Meanwhile, in Poonch, the fifth batch of around 2,700 pilgrims from different parts of the country arrived for the annual Baba Budha Amarnath Yatra.
The pilgrims were accorded a warm welcome by local residents and Poonch Police. Devotees expressed satisfaction with the arrangements and security measures put in place for the pilgrimage.
A pilgrim from Gujarat said his group of around 43 devotees had travelled from Botad district in a single bus and was enjoying the pilgrimage.
The devotees said they would visit the Baba Budha Amarnath shrine the following day and appreciated the security arrangements during their stay in Poonch.
