The third batch of over 6,400 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu in two separate convoys on Friday to join the annual Amarnath pilgrimage in the Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
About 14,000 pilgrims have prayed at the 3,880 metre-high cave shrine since Thursday when the 38-day annual yatra commenced from Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district – the two conventional tracks –, officials said.The third batch of 6,411 pilgrims — 4,723 men, 1,071 women, 37 children, and 580 sadhus and sadhvis — left in 291 vehicles, they said.
The batch left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in two groups for Baltal and Pahalgam at 3.15 am and 4 am, escorted by CRPF.
While 3,622 pilgrims took the 48-kilometre traditional Pahalgam route in 138 vehicles, 2,789 pilgrims, ferried in 153 vehicles, took the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal route.
With the fresh departure, a total of 17,549 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Valley since Wednesday, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the yatra from here.
The yatra goes on as usual, albeit in tighter security, despite the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 men were gunned down.
The Bhagwati Nagar base camp has been put under a multi-tier security cover.
More than 3.5 lakh people have registered online for the pilgrimage so far.
Thirty-four accommodation centres have been set up across Jammu, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are being issued to the pilgrims. Twelve counters have been set up for an on-the-spot registration of pilgrims.