Amarnath-Yatra: Fresh batch of over 1,200 pilgrims begin their journey
A fresh batch of over 1,200 pilgrims, including 300 women and 100 sadhus, left the base camp in Jammu for the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir today. Officials said a minor landslide, triggered by overnight rains, struck the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near Jaswal bridge in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir earlier today but was immediately cleared by the concerned agencies.
Once again, more pilgrims opted for traditional Pahalgam route
Forty-two light and heavy vehicles carrying 1,208 pilgrims left from Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar base camp. The pilgrims are expected to reach the twin base camps of Nunwan in J&K along the traditional 36km Pahalgam and Baltal route later today. In this batch, 773 pilgrims have opted for the Pahalgam track in Anantnag district, while 435 chose the shorter 12km Baltal side in Ganderbal district.
Meeting to discuss about management of the pilgrimage
The arrival of the Amarnath pilgrims has recorded a marked dip over the past week. J&K Governor NN Vohra, also the Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board that manages the yatra, would be holding a meeting soon, an official spokesperson said. He said the meeting would discuss various things regarding the management of the pilgrimage during the remaining period of the yatra.
Over 2 lakh pilgrims visited the cave shrine so far
The 60-day yatra commenced from June 2 and is scheduled to conclude on August 26, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival. Till last evening, a total of 2,36,157 pilgrims had the darshan of the holy ice Shiv Lingam at the 3,880m high cave shrine.
