Srinagar, Aug 22: The Chhari Mubarak, the holy mace of lord Shiva, reached Pahalgam from Srinagar on Saturday, marking the start of the last leg of the Amarnath Yatra.
Mahant Deependra Giri, custodian of the Chhari Mubarak, led the procession for the main religious rituals.
A large group of sadhus and devotees accompanied him, chanting devotional hymns.
The mace left the Dashnami Akhara Building in Srinagar in the morning after special prayers and Vedic chanting.
Enroute to Pahalgam, the Chhari Mubarak was taken to the Shiv Temple in Bijbehara and the historic Martand Tirth in Mattan.
Special pujas and traditional rituals were performed at both places.
The Chhari Mubarak will stay at the Gourishankar temple in Pahalgam on Saturday and Sunday.
It will leave for Chandanwari on August 24, Sheshnag on August 25, and Panchtarni on August 26 and 27.
On August 28, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan, the holy mace will be taken to the Amarnath cave shrine for traditional Pujan and Darshan.
It will be installed there amid prayers and Vedic chanting.
The rituals are associated with the traditional belief that lord Shiva narrated the tale of immortality to goddess Parvati at the Amarnath cave shrine.
After the rituals, the mace will return to Panchtarni.
It will then proceed through Sheshnag and Chandanwari before reaching Pahalgam on August 29.
The annual yatra will conclude on August 30 with prayers followed by the traditional Visarjan ceremony.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anantnag and Yatra Officer for the Pahalgam axis, Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat, formally received Giri at Pujteng near Sangam.
SSP Amod Ashok Nagpure, Additional Deputy Commissioner Muzammil Maqbool Beigh, SPs Sunny Gupta and Rameez Raja, SE PWD Syed Ishfaq Ahmad, SDM and Tehsildar Bijbehara, CMO, and other civil and police officials were present on the occasion.
The district administration has made arrangements for security, traffic management, accommodation, and sanitation.
It has also arranged firewood, food, puja material, and drinking water for Giri, the accompanying sadhus and devotees.
The Amarnath Yatra was suspended on August 9 on both the traditional Pahalgam and Baltal-Sonamarg routes due to adverse weather and damage to the yatra tracks.
More than 4.80 lakh yatris have undertaken the yatra since it began on July 3.
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