JAMMU, July 1: Amid tight security, fresh batch of 6,400 pilgrims left from a base camp here on Friday in a secured convoy to perform pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south of Himalayas.
Chanting ‘Bam Bam Bhole’, the pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in a cavalcade of 265 vehicles early morning.
The 43-day long pilgrimage to the cave shrine will conclude on August 11 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
With today’s batch the number of the total pilgrims, who have left for Amarnath cave shrine from Jammu, goes up to 17,100, officials said.
Over 7,000 fresh pilgrims have arrived in Jammu from various places across the country for their onward journey to the shrine, they said.
After on-the spot registeration at three counters and supply of tokens at two counters, they have been lodged in 32 lodging centres and base camps here.
The Yatra commenced on Thursday from the traditional 48-km Nunwan route in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam and the 14-km Baltal route in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal.
The pilgrimage is expected to see higher-than-usual attendance as it is being held after a gap of three years.
In 2019, the Yatra was cancelled midway ahead of the Centre abrogating Article 370 provisions of the Constitution. The pilgrimage did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (AGENCIES)
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