The annual Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 1, was suspended on Friday due to bad weather and mudslides on the way to the pilgrimage route.
Downpour across Kashmir since early morning forced the suspension of the pilgrimage to 3,880-metre high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, an official said. It will resume once the weather improves.
The 62-day pilgrimage is held from the twin base camps - Nunwan in Pahalgam of south Kashmir’s Anantnag and Baltal camp in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district.
Around 4,600 pilgrims were stopped at the Nunwan base camp on the Pahalgam axis on Friday morning, he said. Another batch of over 2,400 devotees were stopped at different places on Baltal route.
“The yatra has been suspended and no pilgrim was allowed to move towards the holy cave shrine this morning," the official added.
The Meteorological (MeT) department has predicted light to moderate rain in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours.
In the first six days of the pilgrimage nearly 85 thousand pilgrims are reported to have offered their prayers at the cave shrine of Lord Shiva in the upper reaches of the south Himalayas.
This year the pilgrimage is expected to see higher than usual attendance of pilgrims. The 62-days annual pilgrimage will culminate on August 31, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Shravan Purnima.
This year, Jammu and Kashmir administration is not only taking foolproof security measures for the yatra but comprehensive measures have also been taken to prevent a 2022-like situation when a cloudburst hit the yatra campsite and killed 16 pilgrims.
A cloudburst is an extreme amount of rain in a short period of time, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions.
Every year, thousands of devotees undertake the yatra in July and August to pay obeisance at the shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Last year around 3.65 lakh pilgrims offered prayers at the shrine despite cloudburst hitting the yatra camp.