Jammu: Despite heavy rains, over 4,600 pilgrims departed from Jammu city early Wednesday to join the annual Amarnath Yatra at the twin base camps in Kashmir, officials reported.
This marks the 13th batch of pilgrims leaving the Bhagwati Nagar base camp for the Baltal and Pahalgam camps in Kashmir.
The group of 4,627 pilgrims departed in 185 vehicles around 3 am, chanting “Bum Bum Bholey”. They were escorted by a CRPF contingent with the Army providing area security, officials said.
Out of these, 2,773 pilgrims took the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route in 95 vehicles, while 1,854 pilgrims opted for the shorter, steeper 14-km Baltal route in 90 vehicles.
Since June 28, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch, a total of 72,325 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Valley.
The 52-day yatra, which began on June 29, will conclude on August 19. Last year, more than 4.5 lakh pilgrims visited the cave shrine.
