2001 Amarnath pilgrimage massacre
2001 Amarnath pilgrimage massacre
On 20 July 2001, during the annual Amarnath pilgrimage in Kashmir, militants attacked a night camp at Sheshnag Lake. Two improvised explosive devices exploded and gunfire followed, killing 13 people and injuring 15. Among the dead were eight Hindu pilgrims (including two women), three Muslim civilians, and two security personnel.
The Amarnath Yatra is a long-running Hindu pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine, which sits high in the Himalayas at about 12,756 feet (3,888 meters). Each year hundreds of thousands of pilgrims travel from base camps at Pahalgam, trekking about 43 kilometers and taking overnight rests at Sheshnag Lake and Panchtarni before reaching the cave, home to the icy Shivling.
Militants have targeted the yatra in the past as part of the broader violence in the region. Groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen have carried out attacks in Kashmir. The 2001 attack led to renewed concerns for pilgrim safety and increased security measures during the pilgrimage.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:59 (CET).