The historic 62-day annual Amarnath Yatra is going on at Gupha, located at an altitude of 13 thousand feet above sea level. There are two ways to go for this Yatra which started on July 1, 2023. One is the 48 km Nanwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the other is 14 km long from Bal Tal in Ganderbal district. This Yatra is a great symbol of communal harmony, mutual brotherhood among different communities.
Yatra is a confluence of people of different faiths from all over India as well as abroad. It is a unique pilgrimage in which people belonging to one religion visit the Gupha with devotion and people from other religions help the devotees to reach the Gupha and provide various amenities on the way. On the Amarnath Yatra route, horse-drawn carriages, punis and pithus belong to the Muslim community. Apart from this, Muslims have also set up anchors at many places along the way. A large number of Muslim labourers from Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Kishtwar and Doda regions of Jammu province also go to work as puniwala, pithuwala and palkiwala in this yatra.
On the banks of Nala Indus, from the base camp in Bal Tal of Ganderbal district to Gupha, Muslims have set up small kiosks at dozens of places on the way, which are major institutions that provide local services to Amarnath pilgrims during the annual pilgrimage. Not only that but guide the pilgrims in walking the path, showing the way. Local Muslims are seen carrying pilgrims either on their shoulders or in palanquins. Risking their lives and braving the arduous journey, rain, hot and humid weather conditions, and mud on the way to the holy cave, the local service providers including the pooniwala and palanquin bearer Amarnath manage to provide a safe and comfortable journey to the pilgrims.
Thousands of Muslims join the pilgrimage every year, serving the pilgrims as labourers, pathwalas and palanquin bearers, helping the elderly pilgrims climb the difficult Baltal route to the cave on palanquins. Every year hundreds of local people also set up stalls at the Yatra base camps at Baltal in Shamir’s Ganderbal district and Pahalgam in South Kashmir offering a variety of goods to the pilgrims.
Apart from providing business for local people, Amarnath Yatra also shows the bond between Kashmiris and pilgrims. During the Yatra, hundreds of langar stalls have also been set up on the way from Lakhanpur to Gupha, where there are a large number of Hindus as well as Muslims among those who cook, eat and distribute food. A great example of harmony is seen.
“We have been coming here for years to provide services to Amarnath pilgrims. Being hosts, we cross religious lines to ensure that the guests do not face any inconvenience,” said Mohammad Naseer, a palanquin owner. Mohammad Rasheed said that this is not just a business for us, apart from earning a living, it gives us an opportunity to serve and help people of other religions, which gives us satisfaction.
A young devotee, Mohan Sharma, said that the Amarnath Yatra is a perfect example of inter-religious harmony. Muslims provide you with hot water for bathing. They carry you on their shoulders so that you reach the holy pit unharmed and prepare you for a hassle-free journey. During the Amarnath Yatra, a great example of Kashmirism, humanity and secularism can be seen and it sends a message to the entire country that the growth, security and prosperity of India lies in the fact that every citizen living here, irrespective of religion and nationality, stays together as an equal sharer in each other’s sorrows.
