SRINAGAR: The donations to the Amarnath cave shrine in the South Kashmir Himalayas have witnessed a significant surge since the resumption of the annual pilgrimage post the Covid-19 pandemic, with the offerings having jumped about 100 per cent from a mere Rs 9.23 lakh in 2020–21 to Rs 9.75 crore in 2025–26.
According to data released by Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) in response to an RTI query by Jammu-based activist Raman Sharma, the shrine has been witnessing a consistent rise in donations from the devotees post the Covid-19 pandemic.
As per the data, the Amarnath shrine received cash and donations of Rs 9.75 crore in 2025-26. The highest donation of Rs 11.58 crore was received in 2024–25, which was slightly higher than the Rs 11.15 crore received in 2023–24.
The surge in donations is linked to the revival of large-scale pilgrimages following the pandemic, upgraded pilgrim facilities and the improved ground situation in the valley.
The data indicates a return to traditional cash offerings, while online donations, which had temporarily increased during the pandemic when the yatra was suspended, have declined significantly.
The online contributions by devotees were Rs 77.09 lakh in 2020–21, and they rose to Rs 1.46 crore in 2021–22 and peaked at Rs 2.39 crore in 2022–23.
However, the online contributions dropped to Rs 1.55 crore in 2023–24 and Rs 1.89 crore in 2024–25 and declined further to Rs 80.64 lakh in 2025–26. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Amarnath Yatra was cancelled in 2020 and 2021. After resumption of the yatra post pandemic, over three lakh yatris visited the cave shrine in 2022, 4.5 lakh in 2023, 5.1 lakh in 2024 and 4.1 lakh in 2025. As the ground situation in the valley has improved and militancy declined, the revenue from registration fees has also seen a significant increase.
The shrine board collected a meagre Rs 0.12 lakh registration fee in 2020-21. However, the registration fee collection jumped to nearly Rs 4 crore in 2022-23, Rs 5.56 crore in 2023-24, Rs 5.35 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 7.71 crore in 2025-26. The rise in donations and registration fees reflects growing public confidence in undertaking the pilgrimage amid improved infrastructure and security in the valley.