A group of 834 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Wednesday for the Kashmir Valley to undertake the annual Amarnath pilgrimage. The pilgrims, comprising 614 men, 146 women, 67 sadhus, and 7 children, were escorted by a convoy of 27 vehicles.
The pilgrims left for the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal between 3 am and 3:40 am. The traditional 48-kilometer Nunwan-Pahalgam route was chosen by 586 pilgrims, while the shorter but more challenging 14-kilometer Baltal route was preferred by 248 pilgrims.
So far, more than 4.25 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the cave shrine. The yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 31.
