Police survey Amarnath route ahead of pilgrimage

Ahead of the commencement of annual Amarnath pilgrimage, Jammu and Kashmir police has conducted a pre-yatra recee to assess the impact of snowfall on the route to the cave shrine of Lord Shiva in south Kashmir.

"Our police team has conducted a recee on the route to the Amarnath cave shrine to assess the snow situation ahead of the yatra," Superintendent of Police (Ganderbal) Imtiyaz Hussain told PTI.

The police team braved hostile weather and treacherous terrain to survey the route, he said, adding it would take over a month for snow to melt around the shrine.

Maintaining that ice lingam of Lord Shiva might be around 13 feet in height, Hussain claimed that its size and height is 80% of previous lingams.

The normal formation of the ice lingam is generally 16-17 feet in height at the cave shrine located in Lidder valley in south Kashmir Himalayas.

Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has announced the commencement of yatra from July 1.