Jammu: A fresh batch of 4,640 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas here early Friday for the annual Shri Amarnath Yatra amid tight security arrangements, officials said.
More than 3.45 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance to Lord Shiva at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine till now.
The 16th batch, travelling in a convoy of 171 vehicles, comprised 1,626 pilgrims heading for the shorter Baltal route in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and 3,014 pilgrims bound for the traditional Pahalgam route in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, they said.
According to officials, the Baltal-bound convoy departed the base camp at 2.42 am, followed by the Pahalgam-bound convoy at 3.11 am.
With the departure of the latest batch, a total of 1,09,128 pilgrims have left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine since the commencement of this year’s pilgrimage, the officials said.
The annual Amarnath Yatra is being conducted under multi-tier security arrangements, with authorities maintaining elaborate deployment along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and both pilgrimage routes to ensure the safe passage of pilgrims.
