Jammu: The largest batch of pilgrims so far this year, comprising 8,815 devotees, including 31 foreign nationals, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Tuesday for the annual Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir amid tight security.
More than 93,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Himalayas during the first four days of the pilgrimage, with the figure expected to cross the one-lakh mark later in the day.
Officials said the sixth batch comprised 5,831 men, 2,193 women, 31 children, 598 sadhus, 131 sadhvis and 31 foreign nationals.
Of them, 3,989 pilgrims travelling in 181 vehicles left for the Baltal base camp in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, while 4,826 pilgrims in 182 vehicles proceeded towards the traditional Pahalgam route in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, taking the convoy strength to 363 vehicles.
With Tuesday’s departure, a total of 34,829 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for Kashmir since the yatra commenced on July 2.
The Bhagwati Nagar base camp echoed with chants of “Bam Bam Bhole”, “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Barfani Baba Ki” as devotees set out on the pilgrimage. Many pilgrims expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made for the smooth conduct of the yatra.
Tuesday’s convoy was the largest since the start of the pilgrimage, surpassing the previous highest of 6,721 pilgrims on Sunday, an official said. A total of 5,794 pilgrims had left on Monday, while 4,812 departed on July 4.
The 57-day pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine is scheduled to conclude on August 28, coinciding with the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has urged unregistered devotees planning to undertake the pilgrimage to defer their journey for a few days as all registration slots have been booked till July 9 due to an unprecedented rush.
Officials have also announced that only registered pilgrims will be allowed to proceed towards Kashmir, while unregistered devotees will be stopped at designated checkpoints until fresh registration quotas become available.
