Over 3,200 pilgrims leave from Jammu for Valley
STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: The number of pilgrims who paid obeisance to Lord Shiva at Amarnath cave shrine in South Kashmir crossed the four lakh mark on Monday as more than 12,000 yatris had darshan of the naturally formed ice lingam, officials said here.
“As many as 12,539 pilgrims performed the yatra on Monday and had darshan of Baba Bholenath on the 24th day of the annual yatra,” the officials said.
They said the number of pilgrims who have been to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine has now reached 4,08,518.
The officials said 7,760 male pilgrims, 2,772 female pilgrims, 175 Sadhus and one Sadhvi were among those who paid obeisance at the cave shrine.
Over 1,600 security forces and 174 children also performed the pilgrimage.
As per the officials, there have been two deaths — a sevadar from Haryana and a pilgrim from Jharkhand — in this year’s yatra. Both the deceased suffered cardiac arrest along the Baltal route in June.
Meanwhile, over 3,200 devotees enthusiastically left from Jammu on the pilgrimage to Amarnath shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas early this morning amid tight security arrangements, officials said.
The 25th batch with 3,281 pilgrims left in 111 vehicles under CRPF escort from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp at 3 am, they said.
Of these, 1,979 pilgrims opted for the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route, while 1,302 chose the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route, they added.
A total of 123,013 pilgrims have embarked on Amarnath Yatra from the Jammu base camp since June 28, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch here.
Over 3.80 lakh pilgrims have already paid obeisance at the naturally-formed ice lingam at the 3,880-metre high cave shrine, compared to more than 450,000 last year.
The 52-day yatra, which commenced on June 29 from Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in Kashmir, will conclude on August 19.