Another batch of 4,675 pilgrims left Jammu for Kashmir on Friday to perform the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.
The pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu in an escorted convoy. Of these, 1,825 are going to the Baltal base camp, while 2,850 are going to the Pahalgam base camp.
Since it started this year, over 1.95 lakh pilgrims have performed the Amarnath Yatra so far. Thirty pilgrims have died this year so far, 29 of them because of natural causes while one was killed by a shooting stone.
Yatris approach the Himalayan cave shrine either from the traditional south Kashmir Pahalgam route or from the north Kashmir Baltal base camp. Those using the traditional Pahalgam route take 3-4 days to reach the cave shrine, while those using the Baltal route return to the base camp the same day after having darshan inside the cave shrine situated 3,888 meters above the sea level. Helicopter services are also available for pilgrims on both routes.
The cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that devotees believe symbolizes the mythical powers of Lord Shiva. The ice stalagmite structure wanes and waxes with the phases of the moon.
This year’s 62-day long Amarnath Yatra started on July 1 and will end on August 31 coinciding with the Shravan Purnima festival. To protect the pilgrims from high altitude sickness, authorities have banned all junk food at the free community kitchens called the “langars” that have been set up along both the routes of the Yatra. The banned items include all bottled drinks, halwai items, fried foods, and tobacco-based products.
