Ajit Doval would be going to a holy cave for darshan via the Baltaal route.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir. However this time the reason for the visit is religious. He is on Amarnath yatra.

The most powerful bureaucrat in the Modi government however chaired meetings with senior officials of the state to get to know the ground situation prevailing in the valley during Governor's rule in the state.

Early morning on Thursday, Ajit Doval would be going to a holy cave for darshan via the Baltaal route. A senior officer told NDTV that if the weather permits, Mr Doval will take the round trip on a chopper.

The officer also told that special arrangements of darshan and aarti have been made for him. "He is a shiv bhakt and would be paying obeisance, so keeping that in mind arrangements have been made," he added.

Security along the Baltaal axis has been tightened for the top bureaucrat. Mr Doval has Z-plus security. "It is a drill we follow as we get many VIP guests throughout the yatra," a security officer says.

This year, Amarnath Yatra started on July 1 and will continue till August 15. The yatra crossed 2.85 lakh devotees last year.

Situated 3,888 metres above the sea-level in the Himalayas, Amarnath houses an ice stalagmite structure that symbolises mythical powers of Lord Shiva according to the devotees. The ice structure waxes and wanes with the phases of the Moon.