Srinagar: More than 20,000 pilgrims paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine on Friday, taking the number of devotees who have had ‘darshan’ of the naturally formed ice lingam so far to over 1.50 lakh, officials here said.
The Amarnath Yatra began on June 29 from the twin tracks — the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal.
“As many as 21,650 pilgrims performed the Yatra on Friday and had darshan of Baba Bholenath on the seventh day of the annual Yatra,” the officials said.
They said 15,151 male pilgrims, 4,147 female pilgrims, 374 sadhus and two Sadhvis were among those who paid obeisance at the cave shrine.
Over 1,700 security personnel, one transgender person and 275 children also performed the pilgrimage.
With this, the number of pilgrims who have visited the 3,800-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas has now reached 1,51,946, the officials said.
Deaths of two devotees — a sevadar from Haryana and a pilgrim from Jharkhand — have been reported during this year’s yatra so far. Both of them suffered a cardiac arrest on the Baltal route in June, according to the officials.
The 52-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 19.
More than 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine last year.
Earlier today, a fresh batch of 6,900 pilgrims left Jammu base camp for the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
The eight batch of pilgrims left the Bhagwati-Nagar Yatri Niwas in 277 vehicles for the twin base camps of Baltal and Palagam at 3.45 am and were escorted by CRPF security personnel, they said.
While 4,377 pilgrims took the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route, 2,542 pilgrims took the shorter but steep 14-km Baltal route, they said.
With this, a total of 44,441 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the valley since June 28.
