5,800 pilgrims leave Jammu for pilgrimage
STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: More than 7,500 pilgrims paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine on Saturday, taking the number of devotees who have had ‘darshan’ of the naturally formed ice lingam so far to over 1.59 lakh, officials here said.
The yatra was temporarily suspended on Saturday morning in the wake of heavy rainfall, but resumed later in the day, they said.
Officials said the Yatra was temporarily suspended on both routes to the cave shrine as a precautionary measure due to heavy rainfall.
Intermittent heavy rainfall has been seen along the Baltal and Pahalgam routes since last night, they said.
“On Saturday, 7,552 pilgrims performed the yatra and had darshan of Baba Bholenath on the eighth day of the annual yatra,” officials said.
They said 5,019 male pilgrims, 1,406 female pilgrims, 118 sadhus and three sadhvis were among those who paid obeisance at the cave shrine. Also, 869 security personnel, three transgender persons and 134 children performed the pilgrimage, they said.
Meanwhile, a fresh batch of over 5,800 pilgrims left Jammu city early this morning for the twin base camps in Kashmir to join the annual Amarnath Yatra, officials said.
Braving heavy rains, the ninth batch comprising a total of 5,876 pilgrims, including 1,118 women and 18 children, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in two separate convoys of 245 vehicles between 2.50 am and 3.50 am, they said.
While 3,759 pilgrims heading for Pahalgam left in a convoy of 134 vehicles for the Valley, another group of 2,117 devotees in 111 vehicles are heading for Baltal, the officials said.