SRINAGAR: The third batch of 4,812 Amarnath pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Saturday morning for the annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine in the Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
The pilgrims, including 966 women, left in two separate convoys comprising 126 vehicles between 3 am and 3:30 am under tight security arrangements.
The 57-day annual Amarnath Yatra began on Friday through the traditional twin routes — Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district. More than 12,000 devotees paid obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine on the opening day of the pilgrimage.
Officials said the latest batch also included 244 sadhus and 157 sadhvis. Of the total pilgrims, 2,771 devotees, including 542 women and six children, proceeded towards the Pahalgam base camp, while the remaining pilgrims opted for the Baltal route. The Baltal-bound group included 424 women and five children.
With Saturday’s departure, the total number of pilgrims who have left Jammu for the Amarnath Yatra has reached 13,499 since July 2, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch.
