Over 4,800 pilgrims left Jammu early Monday to join the Amarnath Yatra at the twin base camps in Kashmir, officials said.
Escorted by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, the 18th batch included 4,875 pilgrims—3,464 men, 1,333 women, 14 children, and 64 sadhus and sadhvis—who departed for Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in 162 vehicles around 3 am.
Of these pilgrims, 2,957 took the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route, while 1,918 opted for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route.
Since June 28, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch, a total of 96,072 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base camp for the Valley.
The 52-day yatra began on June 29 and will conclude on August 19. Last year, over 4.5 lakh pilgrims visited the cave shrine.