Virtual Darshan: Devotees can pay obeisance to holy cave of Amarnath [Here's How]

After cancelling this year's annual Amarnath Yatra due to the COVID pandemic, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has made arrangements for devotees to pay obeisance to the holy cave through virtual mode.

To respect the sentiments of the devotees across the world, the SASB has made elaborate arrangements to telecast live Aarti and other Poja rituals, regularly on the websites and different mobile-based applications, developed exclusively for the devotees.

Devotees can participate in Aarti, Puja rituals through virtual means

Aarti at Amarnath cave will be live-streamed from the Himalayas to the pilgrims all over the world due to cancellation of the Yatra. The Mangal Aarti of the Yatra will be telecasted live website of the SASB. These websites and mobile apps will telecast live telecast Puja rituals for the devotees from 6:00 am to 6:30 am and 5:00 pm to 5:30 pm daily.

App specially dedicated for devotees

The Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of the SASB, Nitishwar Kumar said that both morning telecast of Aarti at 6 AM and evening Aarti at 5 PM, each for 30 minutes, is to be live-streamed on Shri Amarnath ji Shrine board official website and the app specifically dedicated for the devotees.

The devotees can pay their virtual obeisance to the Holy Ice Lingam online through the Shrine Board's link www.shriamarnathjishrine.com/AartiLive.html or download Shrine Board's mobile-based application through the link here from the Google play store.

The CEO said the shrine board has made the arrangements for the mace of Lord Shiva- Chhari Mubarak' to be taken to the holy cave on August 22 when the Yatra is to conclude coinciding with the festival of Raksha Bandhan.

"Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board has been assessing the COVID situation in the Union Territory and the country. Our focus is on containing the pandemic and strengthening health infrastructure," he observed.

Decision to cancel Yatra appropriate

Mahant Deependra Giri, the custodian of the Charri Mubarak of Amarnath, the holy mace of Lord Shiva, on Tuesday said the decision to cancel the annual pilgrimage for the second consecutive year was "not pleasant" but an appropriate one, keeping in mind the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety of the pilgrims and the staff involved.

In a video message, the Mahant said, "The annual Amarnath pilgrimage has been cancelled this year like last year. Though the decision is not pleasant, it is appropriate in view of the prevailing pandemic situation and for the safety of the pilgrims and the staff involved in the Yatra".

He hoped that the countrymen would be fully vaccinated against COVID before the next year's Yatra and the pilgrimage would also resume.