On Friday, a third group of over 6,400 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu, traveling in two separate convoys. They are en route to join the ongoing Amarnath pilgrimage in the Kashmir Himalayas.
Since the 38-day annual yatra began on Thursday, approximately 14,000 pilgrims have already offered prayers at the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine. The pilgrimage commenced from two traditional routes: Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district.
This third batch consists of 6,411 pilgrims, including 4,723 men, 1,071 women, 37 children, and 580 sadhus and sadhvis. They were transported in 291 vehicles. The convoys, escorted by the CRPF, left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in two groups: one for Baltal at 3:15 am and another for Pahalgam at 4:00 am.
Of this group, 3,622 pilgrims are taking the 48-kilometer traditional Pahalgam route in 138 vehicles, while 2,789 pilgrims are utilizing the shorter but steeper 14-kilometer Baltal route in 153 vehicles.
With this latest departure, a total of 17,549 pilgrims have now left the Jammu base camp for the Valley since Wednesday, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha officially flagged off the yatra.
The pilgrimage is proceeding as planned, with heightened security measures in place following the April 22 Pahalgam attack. The Bhagwati Nagar base camp itself is under a multi-tier security cover.
So far, over 3.5 lakh people have registered online for the pilgrimage. To support the influx of pilgrims, 34 accommodation centers have been established across Jammu, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are being issued. Additionally, twelve counters are available for on-the-spot registration for pilgrims.
