STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: A Total of 23,787 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the Amarnath Cave Shrine in south Kashmir during the first two days of pilgrimage, officials said on Sunday.
“While nearly 9,000 pilgrims performed Darshan on Saturday, more than 4,000 devotees have paid obeisance till 3:00 PM today,” an official of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) said.
Meanwhile, 2,021 pilgrims left Base Camp in Jammu for the Cave Shrine of Amarnath on Sunday amid tight security.
The batch, comprising 1,505 men, 366 women and 150 Sadhus, left in a cavalcade of 40 vehicles from Bhagwati Nagar Base Camp at 4:40 AM, a police official said.
This is the third batch of pilgrims.
With Sunday’s batch, 4,517 pilgrims have left the Jammu Base Camp for the Shrine.
The official said more than 14,000 devotees set off on the trek from Baltal and Pahalgam Base Camps on Sunday morning.
“While 7,471 pilgrims left from the Baltal Base Camp, 6,177 pilgrims started their journey on the traditional Pahalgam route from Nunwan Base Camp,” he said.
Though there were no specific inputs about militants planning to strike the ongoing Yatra, authorities have made unprecedented security arrangements to foil any nefarious design by subversive elements to sabotage the Yatra.
Special rescue teams have also been deployed at vulnerable spots along the tracks to meet any eventuality.
The Yatra, which began on Friday, is scheduled to end on 18th August, coinciding with ‘Shravan Purnima’ and ‘Raksha Bandhan’ festivals.
