More than 7000 pilgrims have left for Amarnath cave shrine from Baltal base camp on the fourth day of yatra on Thursday, officials said.
Dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, the Amarnath cave shrineis located at 13,000 feet above the sea level. Baltal route in Ganderbaldistrict is the shorter of the two routes to the shrine. The other beingPahalgam route in Anantnag district.
Deputy commissioner Ganderbal Hashmat Ali Khan said that theyatra is progressing in a smooth manner.
Meanwhile, the fifth batch of 5,522 pilgrims left Jammu forthe cave shrine on Thursday.
As many as 35,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrinetill Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Thursday’s batch has the highest number of pilgrims.Previously, the highest number of 4,823 pilgrims had left Jammu for the holycave shrine on Tuesday.
As many as 2.85 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the caveshrine last year, while the numbers were 3.52 lakh in 2015, 3.20 lakh in 2016and 2.60 lakh in 2017.
Over 25 pilgrims complained of breathlessness at 13,000 feetalong the Baltal route. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnelimmediately administered oxygen to them.