Tuesday, June 13 2006 11:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Sonamargh (J&K): Set in the pictursque mouth of ravine between two rocky hills in South Kashmir Himilayas, the exquisite sculptured and rusted blue rock cliffs of the Amarnath cave shrine, housing ice lingam of Lord Shiva is expected to be thronged by a record five lakh pilgrims this year.

Trademark of Shaivite Kashmir, Amarnath is expected to attract one lakh pilgrims more than last year during a two-month-long period from Sunday, Director Public Relations Shri Amarnath Shrine Board Madan Mantoo told a visiting PTI correspondent here.

"We expect arrival of over one lakh devotees more this year, but our focus is to take measures for the preservation of nature in all forms," he said.

For this, pre-fab rooms and toilets have come up all along the 46km Pahalgam-Amarnath and Baltal cave routes, he said adding that helipads too have been shifted from Amarnath cave to other places almost one and half kms away from cave.

This yatra has never stopped since its commencement several centuries ago. Even at the time of peak of militancy in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993 there has been a steady rise in the number of pilgrims from 15,7000 to 36,007.

After that, there was a heavy increase in arrival of pilgrims to Amarnath. As many as 67,000 visited the shrine in 1994, 98,000 in 1995 and the number went upto 4.12 lakh in 2005.