Pilgrimage to Barfani Baba- a Journey of Belief
With the blessings of Bhole Baba, I started writing about one of
the most dangerous Journey of Belief in India, a pilgrimage to Barfani Baba-
the AMARNATH YATRA. In series of articles I will be writing in detail about the
45days yatra of this year- SANJY 2019.
Amarnath Cave is situated in the region north of Pahalgam and
south of the Zojila Pass in Kashmir.
It can be accessed through 2 routes – one from Pahalgam,
district Anantnag (Nunwan) which is near 48km long. It takes yatris near 3-5
days from Nunwan to the Cave and back by foot. Prominent milestones on this
route are Chandanwari, Pisu Top, Shesh Nag, Mahaganesh Top, Panchtarni and Sangam.
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| AMARNATH YATRA ROUTES |
The other route is from Baltal, district Ganderbal, which is
newer and shorter route of 18kms which can be completed in a day.
Both routes meet at Sangam from where there is a single path to
the Cave.
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| BALTAL ROUTE |
The high altitude routes to the Amarnath cave remain
inaccessible and covered in snow until July. Only after July when the snow
melts, can the route be prepared for the Yatra. It is traditionally started
after Jyestha Purnima and continues for 45 days till Rakhi Purnima.
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| BABA BARFANI- First image #SANJY 2019 |
The
Yatra terrain being a difficult one, people opt to hire a chopper or a horse or
palanquin.
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| A Yatri on horse back |
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| Yatris on Palanquins carried by 4 people |
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| Choppers by UTC AIR for SANJY 2019 |
Several
others prefer who prefer to walk, hold a dandi and hire porters/ pithoos to
carry their luggage.
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| Horses carrying the luggage of the Yatris |
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| A Man selling Dandis to the Yatris |
Story of the Yatra
It
is believed that Lord Shiva left his Nandi at Pahalgam - Bail Gaon.
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| The HOLY CAVE |
No
one was supposed to hear the secret to attain Moksha but a white pigeon hatched
out from its egg hearing the story and it fled away.
From
then the white pigeon or Dove is considered sacred and people who sight it on
their way to the holy cave are believed to be blessed by Barfani Baba and will
attain Moksha.
History of the Yatra
In
1850, during the Dogra rule a shepherd named Buta Malik of Batkote, a village
near Pahalgam strayed into a cave while he was up in the mountains with his
sheep. He saw the ice stalagmite and described it when he came back and the
Hindus who heard about it concluded that it must be a Shiva Lingam.
Another
legend says that while he had taken his sheep out to graze in the mountains, he
met a man near the cave who gave him some coins, and when he came home, he saw
that they had turned into gold. When Buta Mallik went back to the spot to meet
the man, he instead found the ice stalagmite.
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| An exit gate at a base camp |
The
Yatra first received state patronage after the British sold Kashmir to the
Dogra kings in 1846.
The
Dogra rulers then invited a representative of the Dashnami Akhara from Varanasi
to set up their institution in Kashmir, which was instituted in 1870 in
Srinagar.During
this time the practice of carrying the mace to the cave was also introduced. Since
2001, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) is tasked with the coordination of
the Yatra.
Shri
Amarnathji Shrine Board was formed by an Act passed in the Jammu and Kashmir
Legislative Assembly on November 15, 2000, during the Governorship of G.C.
Saxena. According to the Act, the Governor of the state of Jammu and Kashmir
would be the ex-officio Chairman of the Board, if Hindu, and if not a Hindu he
would nominate an eminent person who is a Hindu and fulfills requirements to be
a member of the Board to be the Chair.
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| CHADI MUBARAK- place where Mace is placed for worship on the way |
In
February of each year, the SASB announces the opening of registration for the
Amarnath Yatra.Potential yatris need to provide a Compulsory Health Certificate
(CHC), which can be obtained after undergoing the prescribed health check up by
empanelled doctors from government health institutions.
Yatris
then need to register at SASB approved counters in their respective states
which include banks and post offices. A sum of Rs. 100 is charged as
registration fees.
Since
2014 the registration process also includes different colored passes for
different days of week. The date that the yatri will start the Yatra and the
point of entry (Baltal or Pahalgam) is mentioned. Yatris registered to travel
on one route are not allowed to undertake the Yatra from the other route.
Spot
registration counters also do exist.
Registration certificates- different colours on different days- Monday and Tuesday
The
Yatra is conducted under security from the armed forces; Indian Army, Border
Security Force(BSF),Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), as well as the Jammu
& Kashmir Police (J&K Police), with Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and
ITBP (Indo Tibetan Border Police) playing a limited role.
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| Force personnel assisting Sadhus at an entarnce gate |
There
are langars all along the way of the Yatra which provide free food of various
cuisines which are rich in taste and varieties.
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| Bustling Bandaras all around |
Philanthropists
donate crores of rupees for these Bandaras and show their way of devotion to
Barfani baba.
Yatris
might not be willing to eat food cooked by locals due to religious reasons and
therefore the role of the Bandaras is significant.
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| Food is FSSAI tested at Langars |
At
the base camp only food is for free, accommodation has to be purchased from
SASB which arranges tents with all the minimum facilities for sustaining a
night stay in cold weather on rent.
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| Tents by SASB for night stay |
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| Public Toilets for the people who stay in tents |
The
significance of Amarnath Yatra extends much beyond personal level. It has
cultural unity and vision of India from Kashmir to Kanyakuumari, from Kathiawar
to Kamrup.
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| Mahila Sadhus |
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| A Yatri who is visiting Bhole Baba since past 16yrs |
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| Physical disability is never a barrier to reach Barfani Baba |
I
hope this spiritual Yatra soon finds a place in
intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO.
Another
legend says that while he had taken his sheep out to graze in the mountains, he
met a man near the cave who gave him some coins, and when he came home, he saw
that they had turned into gold. When Buta Mallik went back to the spot to meet
the man, he instead found the ice stalagmite.
Registration certificates- different colours on different days- Monday and Tuesday
