Early Thursday, officials reported that a new group of 4,383 pilgrims departed from a base camp here for the Amarnath shrine in the southern Kashmir Himalayas.
The 21st batch included 1,086 women and eight children, departing Bhagwati Nagar base camp in 157 vehicles at 3:15 am. Of these, 2,682 pilgrims will travel the traditional 48-km route from Pahalgam in Anantnag district, while 1,701 have chosen the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
As per official figures, During the past 19 days, more than 350,000 devotees received ‘Darshan’ inside the Amarnath cave shrine.
The annual Yatra to this Himalayan cave shrine in Anantnag district in Kashmir, has been proceeding peacefully.
Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are ensuring security along the Yatra route, transit points, and base camps, as well as on the two Yatra tracks from south and central Kashmir.
The pilgrimage began on June 29 and will continue until August 19.