Jammu: Donations at the sacred 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir have soared nearly 100-fold since the annual pilgrimage resumed following the lifting of Covid restrictions, official data has revealed.
According to figures released by the Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB) in response to an RTI filed by Jammu-based activist Raman Kumar Sharma, cash donations and offerings surged from just ₹9.23 lakh in 2020–21 to ₹9.75 crore in 2025–26.
The highest collection was recorded in 2024–25 at over ₹11.58 crore, marginally up from ₹11.15 crore in 2023–24.
Following the lifting of pandemic restrictions in 2022, the pilgrimage saw a steady rise in footfall — over 3 lakh pilgrims in 2022, 4.5 lakh in 2023, 5.1 lakh in 2024, and 4.1 lakh in 2025. This year’s yatra, which began on July 3, was curtailed a week before its scheduled conclusion due to rain-damaged tracks requiring repairs.
The yatra, which is held annually in July–August, leads devotees to the naturally formed ice Shivling at the cave shrine via two routes — the 48-km traditional Pahalgam track in Anantnag and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
As per the SASB’s chief accounts officer, donations at the shrine stood at ₹9.23 lakh (2020–21), ₹12.29 lakh (2021–22), ₹9.14 crore (2022–23), ₹11.16 crore (2023–24), ₹11.59 crore (2024–25), and ₹9.75 crore (2025–26).
The data also indicates a return to traditional cash offerings, even as online contributions — which had risen during the pandemic — saw a sharp decline. Online donations amounted to ₹77.09 lakh (2020–21), ₹1.46 crore (2021–22), ₹2.39 crore (2022–23), ₹1.55 crore (2023–24), ₹1.89 crore (2024–25), and ₹80.64 lakh (2025–26).
Registration fees from pilgrims also rose dramatically — from just ₹0.12 lakh in 2020–21 and 2021–22 to ₹4 crore in 2022–23, ₹5.56 crore in 2023–24, ₹5.35 crore in 2024–25, and ₹7.71 crore in 2025–26.
Officials attributed the surge to the full-scale revival of the pilgrimage after two years of Covid restrictions, improved infrastructure, and an increase in registered devotees.
While SASB disclosed detailed data on cash, online donations, and registration fees, it did not provide information on jewellery, gold, silver, or other high-value offerings, marking them as “Not Available” in its RTI response.
