SRINAGAR: The annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra has recorded a 28 per cent increase in pilgrim turnout this year, with more than 1.42 lakh devotees performing darshan at the holy cave shrine during the first six days of the pilgrimage, official figures reveal.
According to officials, 1,42,861 pilgrims had paid obeisance at the cave shrine till 7 pm on Wednesday, compared with 1,11,975 during the corresponding period last year, marking an increase of 30,886 pilgrims.
On Wednesday alone, 29,047 devotees performed darshan, including 18,362 men, 9,737 women, 404 children, 181 sadhus, 13 sadhvis, 11 transgender devotees and 339 security personnel, officials said.
Meanwhile, the pilgrimage also witnessed its highest-ever single-day departure from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu, with 9,837 pilgrims leaving in the seventh batch for the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal.
Officials said the batch travelled in a convoy of 361 vehicles. Of the total, 5,337 pilgrims departed for the traditional Pahalgam route in 188 vehicles, while 4,500 pilgrims proceeded via the Baltal route in 173 vehicles.
A heavy rush of devotees was witnessed at the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas from the early hours of Wednesday as pilgrims from different parts of the country assembled to undertake the annual pilgrimage.
Officials also said the naturally formed ice Shiv Lingam inside the Amarnath cave has shrunk considerably compared with its size at the beginning of the Yatra due to prevailing weather conditions. However, they confirmed that the pilgrimage is continuing as scheduled, with daily batches of pilgrims undertaking the journey safely.
The 57-day Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2026 began on July 3 and is scheduled to conclude on August 28. The pilgrimage is being conducted under a multi-layered security arrangement with logistical support from the administration, police, Central Armed Police Forces, health services and other departments. Managed by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), the annual pilgrimage attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees to the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir.
