Amarnath shivling shrinks by 90% amid surge in pilgrimage

The naturally formed ice Shivling at the Amarnath cave shrine has shrunk significantly to nearly one foot in height within the first three days of the 2026 Amarnath Yatra. Visuals and records indicate that the ice formation stood at nearly seven feet on May 23 and was over five feet during the first puja on June 29. The latest images from July 6 reveal that approximately 90 percent of the original ice formation has melted.

Despite this rapid reduction, pilgrim enthusiasm remains high, with more than 56,000 devotees visiting the shrine during the first three days, marking an 18.6 percent increase compared to the 47,972 pilgrims during the same period in 2025. The 57-day pilgrimage, which commenced on July 3 and is scheduled to conclude on August 28, is progressing under tight security and medical arrangements across Jammu and Kashmir. Devotees are traveling through both the traditional 48-kilometer Nunwan–Pahalgam route and the steeper 14-kilometer Baltal route.

With the steady influx of devotees, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has issued an advisory halting unregistered individuals, noting that all registration slots are fully booked until July 9. Authorities clarified that only pilgrims with valid registration will be allowed past designated checkpoints on the Baltal and Pahalgam routes. The administration has requested devotees not to travel to the base camps without prior bookings to prevent overcrowding and operational inconveniences.