Amarnath Yatra: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) card for pilgrims

News Highlights 

J&K Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta said that for the first time, every Amarnath Yatra pilgrim would be given a radio frequency identification (RFID) card and would be insured for ₹5 lakh.

About Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology

• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology that uses radio waves to passively identify a tagged object.
• The system has two basic parts: tags and readers. 
• The reader gives off radio waves and gets signals back from the RFID tag, while the tag uses radio waves to communicate its identity and other information.
• A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within the direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked.

Usage of RFID in Amarnath Yatra

• The movement of each Amarnath Yatra pilgrim will be tracked with the help of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags

About Amarnath Cave Temple

• Amarnath Temple is a Hindu shrine located in Jammu and Kashmir
• The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 mabout 141 km (88 mi) from Srinagar
• The cave, located in Lidder Valley, is surrounded by glaciers, snowy mountains and is covered with snow most of the year, except for a short period of time in summer when it is open to pilgrims.
• Deity Formation
  • The Shiva Lingam is a stalagmite formation located at the Amarnath Mountain 
  • The stalagmite is formed due to the freezing of water drops that fall from the roof of the cave onto the floor resulting in an upward vertical growth of ice. 

• There are different types of stalagmites. Here, the stalagmites considered as the lingam, a physical manifestation of Shiva, form a solid-dome-shape. 
• History
  • The book Rajatarangini by Kalhana refers to Krishaanth or Amarnath. 
  • It is believed that, in the 11th century AD, Queen Suryamati gifted trishulas, banalingas and other sacred emblems to this temple.
  • Rajavalipataka, begun by Prjayabhatta, contains detailed references to the pilgrimage to Amarnath Cave Temple.
• Amarnath Yatra
  • The pilgrimage, Amarnath Yatra, occurs when the iced stalagmite Shiva lingam reaches the apex of its waxing phase through the summer months.
  • The period of July–August is a popular time for the pilgrimage.
• Route map of Amarnath Yatra

• Issues with Amarnath Yatra
  • Deaths due to health, accidents and disasters: 
    • Major cause was attributed to people who were not physically fit for the arduous climb, high elevations, and adverse weather undertook the yatra. 
    • Some also died in road accidents before reaching the base camp from where the yatra starts. 
    • Three people were killed and more injured due to a cloudburst at Baltal in 2015.
  • Threats, attacks, and massacres
    • 2 August 2000: militants attacked the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam.
    • 20 July 2001: a terrorist threw a grenade on a pilgrim night camp at Sheshnag near the Amarnath shrine 
    • 30 July and 6 August 2002: two separate incidents terrorists from al-Mansuriyan, a front group of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, massacred 2 and 9 pilgrims 
    • 2017 yatra attack: Eight Hindu pilgrims were killed on 10 July in a gun attack returning from Amarnath
  • Environmental impact: 
    • Environmentalists have expressed concern that the number of people participating in the Amarnath Yatra is having a negative impact on the area’s ecology and some have expressed support for government regulated limits on the number of pilgrims permitted to make the trek

News Source: The Hindu