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| New Amarnath route is not according to scriptures' | | | Early Times Reporter
Srinagar | June 8
The Amarnath pilgrimage, scheduled to begin from June 18, is mired in yet another controversy.The shrine custodian, Mahant Deependra Giri, has asserted that using the man-made Baltal route for the pilgrimage — which is significantly more convenient than the original one — goes against the Hindu scriptures.
According to Giri, ancient scriptures hold the trek through Pahalgam as the only authentic route for the pilgrimage.He argues that the yatra is not sanctimonious if there is no penance.
“There is no mention of Baltal in the scriptures, which means Pahalgam is the only authentic route for the pilgrimage. This is as per Hingish Sahita — the only authentic scripture which explains Amarnath pilgrimage at length and bears description of how to conduct this yatra. As far as Baltal goes, the route was thrown open by the Army,” Giri says.
At an imposing altitude of 3,888 metres, the Amarnath cave is 44.8 km from Pahalgam base camp. However, worshippers frequently use the 13-km Baltal-cave route and avail facilities like chopper services. Some say, commercialisation has ruined the true idea behind the pilgrimage.
“Every pilgrimage and every shrine has become a centre for earning money. The same holds true for Amarnath yatra, “ Hindu scholar T N Ganju laments.
Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) officials, however, say that reaching the cave is of utmost importance, and the route has no bearing on the pilgrimage.
"Suppose we have helicopters and ropeway up there, you think people will not go there? If there is modern technology, people will avail it,” defends SASB CEO Arun Kumar.
Earlier the holy shrine was caught in a row between the Shrine Borard and People's Democratic Party (PDP) over yatra duration. Later, there was a dispute over the transfer state land. |
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