Part 7: Amarnath Yatra- Panchtarni to Holy Cave

Part 1: General instructions for Yatra

Part 2: Important information for the Yatra

Part 3: AMARNATH Yatra starts: Ambala to Udhampur:

Part 4: Udhampur to Nunwan Base Camp (Pahalgam)

PART 5: AMARNATH YATRA:     PAHALGAM TO SHESHNAG

Part 6: Amarnath Yatra :Sheshnag to Panchtarni

Part 7:   Panchtarni – Holy Cave

PANCHTARNI or PANJTARNI

“At Panchtarni, Lord Shivji left the five elements behind (Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Sky) which make living being. He is the Lord of these elements. Panchtarni is a very beautiful place in the feet of Mount Bhairav. Upon reaching Panjtarni you can see a river split in 5 main parts in the plain. It is said that the five rivers originated from Lord Shiva’s hairs (Jata).

Nights at Panchtarni are very cold and due to cold harsh winds it is strongly recommended that Yatris should carry their quota of Woolens. Cold cream and Vaseline are also very useful for protection of skin. Some Yatris are also affected by deficiency of oxygen. Some may get the feeling of nausea. Dry fruits, sour and sweet eatables like Lemon appear to control these symptoms but it is best to contact the nearest medical post immediately. Lot of Langars and Bhandara are there for pilgrims here till last day.”


Picture 2: Sangam Valley from Top

Part 6: Amarnath Yatra :Sheshnag to Panchtarni

Part 1: General instructions for Yatra

Part 2: Important information for the Yatra

Part 3: AMARNATH Yatra starts: Ambala to Udhampur:

Part 4: Udhampur to Nunwan Base Camp (Pahalgam)

PART 5: AMARNATH YATRA:     PAHALGAM TO SHESHNAG

Part 6: Amarnath Yatra :Sheshnag to Panchtarni

Next morning we wake up at around 6AM but due to severe outside cold conditions nobody was ready to come out of bedding. After some time we came out of the tent and checked the conditions outside. It was very cold outside and cold wind was flowing. We went to refreshed ourselves and it was a horrible experience with us. Toilets were clean and sweepers were cleaning them after every use but the water was damn cold. A single touch of water was sufficient to numb the hand and rest you can understand………

PART 5: AMARNATH YATRA: PAHALGAM TO SHESHNAG

Part 1: General instructions for Yatra

Part 2: Important information for the Yatra

Part 3: AMARNATH Yatra starts: Ambala to Udhampur:

Part 4: Udhampur to Nunwan Base Camp (Pahalgam)

PART 5: AMARNATH YATRA:     PAHALGAM TO SHESHNAG

We get up early in the morning and completed all morning rituals. There were sufficient number of toilets and bathrooms at one side of the camp for use of the Yatris. Some of us took bath in chilled water and others avoided it .Within one hour all of us became ready to proceed. We came out of our tent with our rucksacks on our back and went towards Bhandaras to have some breakfast. Atmosphere was chilled and cold air was flowing. There was great rush at each Bhandaras and they were packed with pilgrims all around. After taking breakfast we moved towards the exit gate and found that hundreds of Yatris were already standing there in lines and waiting for their turn to go out. Exit gate was closed and when it opened, security personnel allowed Yatris to out one by one. Within 15-20 minutes we also came out of the camp and started looking for Chandanwadi bound vehicles. Vehicles were limited and Peoples were pushing each other to enter into the vehicles. Soon we caught one 8 sitter Maruti van and jumped into it. He asked Rs.800 from us whereas the charges were fixed as Rs. 70 per person by Govt. we agreed to his demand and asked him to start his van and we started from Pahalgam towards Chandanwadi. Scenery between Pahalgam and Chandanwadi is mind blowing. Lidder River was flowing along the right side of the road. Chandanwadi is around 16 kms from Pahalgam and it took us around 30 minutes to reach there. There is no motor able road beyond Chandanwadi.


Climb of Pissu Top

Part-4 :Amarnath Yatra :Udhampur to Nunwan Base Camp -Pahalgam

Part 1: General instructions for Yatra

Part 2: Important information for the Yatra

Part 3: AMARNATH Yatra starts: Ambala to Udhampur:

Part 4: Udhampur to Nunwan Base Camp (Pahalgam)

Next morning we wake up early at 5AM and after taking bath we all get ready by 6 AM. We put all our bags and belongings on the carrier at rooftop of the vehicle and covered them with plastic sheet and then tied tightly with rope. After taking a cup of tea and biscuits we started onwards journey. We had planned to have our breakfast at Batote, a small city on the highway. As we have reached Udhampur directly without going to the Jammu City so now onwards from here our journey was on the Jammu Srinagar Highway. This is very dangerous highway of India and have very sharp turns. This highway gets closed many times due to heavy snowfall in winter.

Hanuman Temple, Udhampur

Part-3 :TRAVEL GUIDE FOR AMARNATH YATRA - Journey Tale of Both tracks (Pahalgam and Baltal)

Part 1: General instructions for Yatra

Part 2: Important information for the Yatra

Part 3: AMARNATH Yatra starts: Ambala to Udhampur:

In Last two posts we have covered general instructions and important information for Amarnath Yatra. Now we will proceed to Amarnath Yatra 2010 in which we used both tracks; Pahalgam for ascend and Baltal for descend. Planning of the Yatra 2010 was started 3-4 months before the commencement of Yatra and 7 persons for the Yatra were already finalized. The Amarnath Yatra was starting on 30^th June 2010.We had decided to leave on first week of July and was waiting for opening of online registrations which was due on 5^th June. I was preparing but was not sure whether I will be able to go or not because my mother was ill for some period.

Part-2: TRAVEL GUIDE FOR AMARNATH YATRA - Journey Tale of Both tracks (Pahalgam and Baltal

Part 1: General instructions for Yatra

Part 2: Important information for the Yatra

Things to carry for Yatra:

Your journey shall involve trekking across high mountains, facing strong cold winds. You must carry

(i)          adequate woolen clothing, a pair of inner (lower and upper) is must;

(ii)             windcheater;

(iii)           raincoat or/and a small umbrella;

(iv)           Good trekking shoes (preferably waterproof);

(v)   Torch (electricity is available at Sheshnag, Panjtarni and Holy Cave Camps only through generators and they are switched off at around 10PM )

(vi)           walking stick (can be purchased from Baltal and Chandanwari );

(vii)        Woolen cap (preferably a monkey cap);

(viii)      Gloves, jacket and a pair of woolen socks;

(ix)           Trousers (preferably a waterproof pair).

(x)             Water bottle, dry fruits, roasted grams/channa, toffees,biscuits chocolates, etc for use during the journey.

(xi)              Carry some cold cream/Vaseline/sunscreen to protect your hands /face against sunburn etc.

These items are essential as the climate is highly unpredictable and changes abruptly from sunny weather to rain and snow. The temperature can sometimes abruptly fall to 5 degrees Celsius or lower.

Tip: If you forget to bring any of these items, you can purchase these all items at Baltal, Nunwan and Chandanwari camps at some premium. 

PART 1 :TRAVEL GUIDE FOR AMARNATH YATRA - Journey Tale of Both tracks (Pahalgam and Baltal)

PART 1 :Preparations and General instructions for the Yatra

When I wrote my first travelogue titled “My 12^th Amarnath Yatra report “   on my Blog, I received many e-mails having a lot off queries. Question and queries asked were of different nature and I replied all of them as per my knowledge. Although the first TR was written in short format and six day journey was concluded in just two posts, yet it got the warm response from the readers and people who are planning to visit.Though It has been already shared immensely  in a short span  but it lacked in the terms of information. So, I decided to write one more travelogue on Amarnath Yatra with detailed information covering both tracks of Pahalgam and Baltal so that all question and queries can be clubbed and answered at one point. As the Yatra is starting this year on 28^th June, I will try to finish this series before the commencement of Shri Amarnath Yatra-2014 so that it can help all the persons willing to perform Yatra (specially the first timers).

Before I start my actual TR, let me explain the structure of my TR

•    Center of this series will be the Yatra of 2010 during which we covered both tracks; Pahalgam track for ascend and Baltal track for descend.

• Some pictures shown in the series are of other than the year 2010 and have been used for reference.
• My trips are always remains on a budget. Hence, those who want to make this Yatra on a grand scale and splurge lot of money, this Report may not suit their requirements;
• In my report I will comment and record my observation purely on my personal experience, which may or may not match the experience of other visitors;

Let us start with some Useful information for The Amarnath Yatra 2014:

The Amarnath Yatra 2014:

Dates (28^th June to 10th  Aug.) have been already announced for The Amarnath Yatra 2014 and duration has been extended to 44 Days.