Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 9: The holy mace of Lord Shiva, the Chhari Mubarak, will be carried to Srinagar's historic Shankaracharya Temple on August 12 and to the Sharika Bhawani Temple on August 13, marking the beginning of the traditional rituals that lead up to the final leg of this year's Amarnath Yatra.
Following this, the Chhari Sthapana ceremony will be held on August 15 at the Shri Amareshwar Temple, Dashnami Akhara in Srinagar. According to Mahant Deependra Giri, the traditional Chhari puja will be performed at the Dashnami Akhara on August 17, coinciding with Nag Panchami.
The sacred mace will then set out on its main journey to the Shri Amarnath cave on August 22. The route will take pilgrims through Pahalgam on August 22 and 23, Chandanwari on August 24, Sheshnag on August 25, and Panchtarni on the nights of August 26 and 27. The yatra will culminate on August 28 — Shravan Purnima — with prayers and darshan at the holy cave, formally bringing the Ch “The sacred mace will set out on its main journey to the Shri Amarnath cave on August 22. The route will take pilgrims through Pahalgam on August 22 and 23, Chandanwari on August 24, Sheshnag on August 25, and Panchtarni on the nights of August 26 and 27. The yatra will culminate on August 28.”
As reported earlier, the administration has temporarily suspended the pilgrimage along both routes leading to the Amarnath cave from August 9. Officials said recent rains have made repair and maintenance work necessary on several vulnerable stretches of the track, with the Border Roads Organisation currently carrying out repairs. The Meteorological Department has also forecast continued adverse weather in the coming days.
Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg said the Chhari Mubarak will proceed via the traditional Pahalgam route, and that August 28 will mark the formal conclusion of the 2026 Amarnath Yatra.
Since the 57-day pilgrimage began on July 3, more than 4.8 lakh devotees have so far had darshan of Baba Barfani. The administration has urged pilgrims to continue following safety guidelines issued from time to time. With the yatra suspended on both routes, langars set up along the Baltal route are also being wound down. | 