Jammu, July 15 : On Saturday, a fresh batch of over 7,000 pilgrims embarked on the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, leaving Jammu city to join the twin base camps in the Valley, according to officials.
The 62-day pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath, situated at an elevation of 3,880 meters in the south Kashmir Himalayas, began on July 1 via the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the shorter 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal.
In tight security, the 13th batch of 7,392 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in a convoy of 272 vehicles, officials reported. Around 4 am, 4,024 pilgrims headed to Pahalgam in 146 vehicles, while 3,368 devotees set off for Baltal in 126 vehicles.
With this batch, a total of 80,181 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Valley since June 30.
Devotees from all over the country undertake the Amarnath Yatra to seek blessings at the holy cave shrine, which houses a naturally formed ice shivlingam. On Friday, the shrine witnessed the highest number of pilgrims, with 24,445 individuals offering their prayers. To date, over 190,000 devotees have undertaken the yatra, and this figure is expected to exceed 200,000 by this evening, according to officials.
The concerned departments are providing round-the-clock facilities to the pilgrims, ensuring their needs are met, the officials added.
