Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 8 (ANI): Thousands of pilgrims participating in the ongoing Amarnath Yatra 2025 are receiving free langar services at the Jammu base camp and other locations, including the National Highway.

Virender Kumar Sharma, who has been organizing the langar facility for the past 17 years, said, 'We have been running this langar for almost 17 years, and it's a completely free service. People come from far-off places, and whoever comes here, they have devotion towards it and also make donations. There are many langars in the city, but we run this langar for free and don't expect anything in return.'

The pilgrims have expressed gratitude for the security forces and the arrangements along the Pahalgam route.

Siddharth Agrawal, a first-time pilgrim, praised the security personnel, saying, 'I am here for the first time. Despite recent incidents, the armed forces are working hard for us. We may not have had the courage to come here without their support. We are roaming around freely because they are standing here with guns. I salute the CRPF and the J-K Police.'

Nilesh Upadhyay, another pilgrim undertaking the yatra for the 13th time, echoed similar sentiments, saying, 'The arrangements are very good. There is peace here.'

Union Minister Jitendra Singh stated that around 26,000-27,000 pilgrims have visited the Amarnath Yatra since its commencement on July 2, dispelling concerns that the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam might deter pilgrims.

The 38-day annual Amarnath pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine in South Kashmir began on July 3, 2025 and will conclude on August 9, 2025 (Raksha Bandhan).

The pilgrimage began simultaneously from both routes - Pahalgam track (Anantnag district) and Baltal (Ganderbal district).

Amarnath Yatra is an annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave, where devotees pay homage to an ice stalagmite believed to be the lingam of Lord Shiva.

The ice stalagmite forms every year during the summer months and reaches its maximum size in July and August, when thousands of Hindu devotees make an annual pilgrimage to the cave. (ANI)