SRINAGAR: A record 9,837 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu on Wednesday for the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal, marking the largest single-day departure since the start of this year’s Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra, officials said.
According to officials, the seventh batch of pilgrims left in a convoy of 361 vehicles. Of them, 5,337 pilgrims travelling in 188 vehicles were bound for the traditional Pahalgam route, while 4,500 pilgrims in 173 vehicles headed for the shorter Baltal route.
The batch comprised 6,684 men, 2,730 women, 21 children, 320 sadhus, 80 sadhvis and two transgender devotees.
A heavy rush of pilgrims was witnessed at the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas from the early hours of Wednesday as devotees from across the country assembled to undertake the annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine.
The pilgrimage is being conducted under a multi-layered security arrangement, with logistical support from the administration, police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), health services and other departments.
The 57-day Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra began on July 3 and is scheduled to conclude on August 28, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan. The pilgrimage is organised by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) to the cave shrine situated at an altitude of 3,888 metres in the Kashmir Himalayas.
