Buddha Amarnath yatris swell 
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Rajouri, August 24
The early melting of the ice lingam at the Amarnath cave has meant that a large number of devotees are coming for the Buddha Amarnath pilgrimage at Mandi in Poonch district. The Buddha Amarnath pilgrimage is considered the equivalent of the Amarnath yatra in its religious sanctity.
However, the weeklong Buddha Amarnath yatra, from August 18-25, has witnessed a large rush of devotees.
"I didn't go to Amarnath ji simply because the lingam melted just days after the pilgrimage officially started," said Dharmesh Bhai of Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
"Since the Buddha Amarnath yatra is considered the equivalent to the Amarnath yatra in religious sanctity, I preferred coming here to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva."
Mahant Ram Priya Dass, head priest of Radha Krishan Temple in Akhnoor, echoes the feelings of Dharmesh Bhai. "Even though the Amarnath yatra started officially in the second fortnight of June, pilgrims had started to pay obeisance in April resulting in the early melting of the Shiv Lingam due to warming. For any pilgrim, the real darshan is that of the Shiv lingam, not of the place. This is the reason that the rush was missing," said Ram Priya Dass.
The organisers too are happy with the unusual response to the Buddha Amarnath yatra this year, and have made adequate arrangements for the pilgrims, with active support from the state government.
"Earlier, 1,000-1,200 pilgrims used to pay obeisance daily at the holy cave. But this year, the rush is unprecedented and we receive more than 2,000 pilgrims daily at the halt camp here," said Ranjeet Kara, one of the organisers and district general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).