Lingam controversy, attack on tourists affect Amarnath yatra

Srinagar, Aug 16: The two-month-long Amarnath pilgrimage that concluded recently was by and large incident-free, but less number of devotees paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine this year mainly because of the controversy over the artificial 'Shivalingam' and the militant attacks on tourists in Kashmir.

The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) had expected more than five lakh pilgrims this year. In 2005 and 2004, about 4.5 lakh devotees had a glimpse of th icelingam at the holy cave shrine.

At the onset of pilgrimage on June 11, several hundred devotees had already registered for the holy journey from both traditional Pahalgam and shorter Baltal routes to the Amarnath cave which is one of the 12 holiest shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, collectively known as 'Jyotirlingas'.

The cave shrine is situated on the narrow openings between the mountains of Lidder valley at a height of 3,888 metres in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

Just days before the commencement of pilgrimage, a war of words erupted between the SASB and the Peoples Democratic Party after the ruling coalition partner accused the religious body of functioning in an arbitrary manner and depriving the locals of bread and butter by imposing restrictions on their association with the annual yatra.

The SASB later hit back, saying such ''unfortunate and mischievous'' statements would jeopardise tourism and vitiate the atmosphere of tranquility in Kashmir.

This prompted the PDP to allege that the SASB was dragging the office of the Governor, the constitutional head of the state, in controversies surrounding the conduct of the pilgrimage.

The duration of the pilgrimage had earlier become a bone of contention between Jammu and Kashmir Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha, who is also the SASB Chairman, and Chief Minister and PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

The controversy had dragged on for several months. The Governor had advocated two-month-long pilgrimage every year for greater satisfaction of devotees and to help give boost to local economy.

Nearly a week after the pilgrimage began, a major controversy erupted over a media report suggesting installation of artificial icelingam at the holy cave shrine by the SASB officials.

The lingam is formed naturally with an ice stalagmite, which waxes and wanes with the Moon.

Reacting to the report, the SASB said there was no question of trampling the sanctity of the revered shrine or playing with the religious sentiments of devotees. The Board said if its intention was to install a man-made icelingam at the holy cave, then a Shivalingam of original form and size could have been put in place.

''Who else knows better about the size and the shape of the lingam than the SASB?'' a board spokesman asked while emphasising that piling up of some snow over the lingam by someone could not be prevented as the shrine remained unguarded for more than ten months.

As the controversy continued to draw strong reactions from various quarters, Mahant Deepindra Giri, the custodian of the holy mace of Lord Shiva, held the shrine board responsible for raising of the artificial and chemical icelingam at the holy cave, and sought a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the issue.

The Mahant, who is one of the seven members of the SASB, also criticised the decision to extend the duration of the pilgrimage from one to two months, saying it had no religious significance.

To set at rest the controversy, Gen Sinha ordered a judicial probe into the allegations, inter-alia, after consultations with Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. Retired Jammu and Kashmir High Court Judge K K Gupta was asked to submit his report within a month.

On August 9, the Governor had said that the Inquiry Commission was going to submit its report within ten days.

He said during the past three years, fingers had been repeatedly raised and attempts made to create hurdles and difficulties in the conduct of the pilgrimage.

''But, we have faced and overcome these difficulties with strong determination. With the blessings of Lord Shiva, the Amarnath pilgrimage has been conducted in a peaceful and successful manner,'' Gen Sinha added.

While the controversy had a major impact on the decrease in the number of pilgrims who visited the holy cave, the other factor that contributed to the decline was militant attacks on tourists in Srinagar and on the outskirts since May last week in which several visitors from different states were killed and wounded.

Six tourists from West Bengal and a labourer from Bihar were killed in a series of grenade attacks in Srinagar on July 11, about 28 tourists from West Bengal got wounded in two grenade blasts at Dalgate on May 31, four tourists from Gujarat were killed in a grenade attack at Zakura on May 25 while a visitor from Madhya Pradesh was killed at Soura in a similar attack on May 23.

Fortysix devotees besides two locals died during the pilgrimage this year which ended on the Sharavan Purnima (Rakshabandhan) day on August 9 with the arrival of the holy mace at the cave shrine and offering of special prayers.

The holy mace, led by Mahant Deepindra Giri and accompanied by more than 100 'sadhus', later returned to Srinagar on August 11.

UNI