SRINAGAR: More than 9,100 pilgrims set out from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu on Sunday to join the ongoing annual Amarnath Yatra, officials said.
The 11th batch of pilgrims, comprising 9,153 devotees, including 2,345 women and 18 children, left the base camp in a fleet of 359 vehicles under multi-layered security arrangements.
Officials said the pilgrims were dispatched in two separate convoys for the twin base camps of Baltal in Ganderbal district and Nunwan in Pahalgam, Anantnag district.
The first convoy, carrying 3,429 pilgrims, departed for the Baltal route at around 2:44 am, while the second convoy, with 5,724 pilgrims, left for the Nunwan base camp at approximately 3:35 am.
With the departure of the latest batch, the movement of pilgrims towards the cave shrine has continued steadily since the pilgrimage began on July 3.
Officials said more than 2.30 lakh devotees have offered prayers at the holy cave shrine, where the naturally formed ice Shiv Lingam is revered by pilgrims from across the country.
The 57-day Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 28, coinciding with the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
