Thousands of Hindu devotees have begun the annual Amarnath Yatra in Indian-administered Kashmir, just weeks after deadly violence triggered renewed tensions between India and Pakistan.

The high-altitude pilgrimage, which leads to the Amarnath cave shrine, comes under the shadow of a recent attack that killed 26 Hindu tourists in April, sparking a brief but deadly four-day military confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

Record Security Measures in Place

In response, Indian authorities have deployed over 45,000 security personnel, including army troops and paramilitary forces.
The route is now monitored with:

• Drone surveillance
• CCTV cameras
• Facial recognition scanners
• Fortified checkpoints every few hundred meters

Pilgrims are required to register electronically and travel only in armed convoys.

“There is no fear. The army is everywhere,” said Muneshwar Das Shashtri, a devotee from Uttar Pradesh.

Sacred Site, Political Tensions

The Amarnath cave, nestled at an elevation of nearly 4,000 meters in the Himalayas, is home to a naturally formed ice lingam symbolizing the deity Shiva. The pilgrimage attracts hundreds of thousands annually and has long been a target of security concerns and religious sentiment.

This year’s yatra is the most tightly guarded in its history, following the worst India-Pakistan military clash since the 1999 Kargil War, with over 70 casualties on both sides before a ceasefire was reached in May.

Despite the tension, Jammu and Kashmir officials say participation is strong, and public confidence is being restored.

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