The 20th batch comprising 4158 pilgrims including 1137 women and260 sadhus Sunday left Bhagwati Nagar base camp here to offer prayers at the3,880 metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officialssaid.
As many as 2,59,889 yatris had visited the cave shrine, housingthe naturally formed ice-shivlingam, till Saturday evening since thecommencement of the annual 46-day yatra on July 1. The pilgrimage is scheduledto end on August 15, coinciding Raksha Bandhan festival, they said.
A fleet of 156 vehicles carrying the latest batch, which alsoincluded 19 children, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp under tight securityarrangements in the early hours Sunday and will be reaching the twin base campsof Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district later in theday, the officials said.
While 2139 pilgrims including 751 women and 16 children areregistered for Baltal route, the rest of 2019 pilgrims including 386 women,three children and 260 sadhus are heading for Pahalgam to undertake the yatrafrom there.
The yatra is going on smoothly from both the tracks —traditional 36-km Pahalgam and shorter 14-km Baltal route, the officials said.
As many as 2,85,006 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at theshrine last year, while the number of pilgrims was 2,60,003 in 2017, 3,20,490in 2016 and 3,52,771 in 2015.