Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 3: Even as Monday witnessed smallest batch of devotees leaving Jammu for its onward journey, the number of pilgrims paying obeisance at the holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath Ji once again registered a slight increase for the third consecutive day on 33rd day of the ongoing Yatra.
Total 3544 devotees performed Darshan today thus taking the total number of pilgrims, who have so far paid their obeisance at the cave shrine since commencement of the Yatra this year, to 3, 24,420.
More than seven hundred pilgrims performed Darshan on Monday in comparison to yesterday. The number of pilgrims, who paid their obeisance at the cave shrine on August 2, was 2839 whereas on August 1, only 2753 Yatris performed Darshan.
However, on the other hand, a small batch of only 322 pilgrims left Jammu early this morning for their onward journey to the cave shrine in South Kashmir. The batch was smallest ever in the last 33 days of the ongoing Yatra this year and it comprised of 196 males, 71 females, five children and 30 Sadhus.
They left Jammu from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in the wee hours this morning in a fleet of 10 vehicles. So far 46208 pilgrims have progressed their onward journey from Bhagwati Nagar base camp.
Reports suggest that a number of pilgrims are preferring to skip Jammu base camp because of ongoing bandh even as the AIIMS Coordination Committee has provided free service of bus at Jammu Railway Station, Bus and the Airport.
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