On Sunday, the twelfth group of 7,049 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu, heading for the sacred Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
Officials reported that the pilgrims, which included 1,423 women, 31 children, and 136 sadhus and sadhvis, set off in separate, highly secure convoys early in the morning. Their destinations are the Nunwan-Pahalgam base camp in Anantnag and the Baltal base camp in Ganderbal.
Of the total, 4,158 pilgrims are traveling to the Pahalgam base camp in a convoy of 148 vehicles. The remaining 2,891 pilgrims opted for the Baltal route, traveling in 138 vehicles.
The 38-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-meter high cave shrine began on July 3 and is set to conclude on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival. To date, nearly 183,000 pilgrims have visited the shrine, which is known for its naturally formed Shivlingam.
