A third batch of 6,619 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu in two separate convoys to join the annual Amarnath Yatra in the Kashmir Himalayas, officials reported on Sunday.
On the first day of the 52-day pilgrimage, which began from the Pahalgam and Baltal routes, approximately 14,000 devotees paid obeisance at the sacred cave shrine situated at an altitude of 3,880 meters.
The third group, including 1,141 women, left in 319 vehicles between 3:50 am and 4:45 am under tight security.
Despite the rain in Jammu, 3,838 pilgrims chose the Pahalgam route while 2,781 took the Baltal route. Since June 28, when Lt Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch, a total of 13,103 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Kashmir Valley.
The pilgrimage is set to conclude on August 19.
Last year, more than 4.5 lakh devotees visited the cave shrine, which houses a naturally-formed ice lingam.