Amidst the planning for this year’s two-month-long Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) has shared a list of permitted and prohibited food items for the 120 community kitchens (langars) that will be established along the Pahalgam and Baltal routes to the cave shrine. The SASB has emphasized the health of the pilgrims by banning the service of junk and fried food items, as well as popular Indian snacks like samosas, jalebis, halwa puri, and gulab jamuns.
The permitted menu, which includes cereals, pulses, green vegetables, green salad, fruits and sprouts, rice, jaggery, sambar, idli, uttapam, poha, herbal tea, coffee, low-fat curd, sharbat, lemon squash/water, figs, raisins, apricots, and other dry fruits, has been shared with the langar authorities.
This direction follows the Director of Health Services Jammu and Kashmir’s instruction to concerned officials not to approve leave applications of doctors and para-medical staff during the pilgrimage period.
Whilst these directions may seem insignificant, they are sure to impact millions of devotees making the pilgrimage to the cave shrine. Tamil Brahmins, for example, consider idli as a sacred food item that is fit for consumption during fasting. Similarly, samosas and jalebis are popularly seen as festival foods in the North-Indian belt.
The Amarnath Yatra is a popular Hindu pilgrimage that takes devotees to a cave shrine in the Himalayas. The holy cave is known to house an ice stalagmite that is said to represent Lord Shiva, and is visited by lakhs of devotees each year. In 2020, the Yatra was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the SASB has ensured that precautions are being taken to make this year’s Yatra a safe and holy experience.
