Landslides and unsafe routes force halt to pilgrimage; over 393,000 devotees had completed the yatra before suspension
New Delhi, July 30, 2025
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has ordered the indefinite suspension of the Amarnath Yatra, or pilgrimage, after relentless monsoon rains have caused landslides and made travel along routes to the shrine exceedingly dangerous. The announcement was made on Wednesday morning, impacting both the 32-km Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal track, which lead to the sacred Himalayan cave shrine at an altitude of 3,880 meters.
Officials confirmed that no pilgrim movement will be allowed from the Nunwan/Chandanwari and Baltal base camps until there is a significant improvement in the weather. The Bhagwati Nagar transit camp in Jammu has also suspended Thursday’s scheduled departures, leaving thousands of pilgrims stranded.
The suspension is based on a weather alert from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicating continued heavy rain for the next 72 hours which may lead to an increased chance of waterlogging, risk of rockfalls, and risk of slippery terrain. The vulnerability of the terrain was evident in the 2022 flash floods when 16 yatris were killed, which is why we are taking precautions early on this year.
Since the yatra began on June 29, more than 393,000 pilgrims have already undertaken the sacred journey to the ice lingam. The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) has activated disaster response teams along the route and urged pilgrims to wait for official updates, before resuming travel.
Authorities echoed and reinforced that the priority is pilot safety.Emergency arrangements are being planned for those stranded, and mobile alerts have been sent out to all registered yatris.
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