Amarnath Yatra cancelled due to Covid pandemic

Srinagar: In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided that the annual Amarnath Yatra will be kept symbolic, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said on Monday.

He also directed officials to make arrangements so that devotees can virtually attend the morning and evening ‘aartis’ at the Himalayan cave shrine. This will allow them to pay obeisance while avoiding travel and exposure to the infection, the lieutenant governor (L-G) said .

Sinha said that at the shrine all traditional religious rituals shall be performed according to past practice.

The decision to keep the pilgrimage symbolic was taken after discussions with members of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, officials said.