Srinagar, July 24: The Amarnath Yatra is all set to break the record of last year as 4.17 lakh pilgrims have so far paid obeisance at the cave shrine in Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
With nearly a month remaining in the pilgrimage, the authorities are expecting more number of pilgrims. Last year, 4.5 lakh pilgrims had visited the holy shrine and in 2022, the figure was 3.65 lakh .
The 52-day Amarnath Yatra began on June 29 from the twin tracks of Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The Yatra will end on August 19.
The pilgrims pay obeisance at the cave shrine at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft) , which houses the naturally formed ice-lingam.
On Wednesday, fresh batches of pilgrims proceed from the twin routes of Baltal and from Nunwan Pahalgam, chanting religious hymns amid unprecedented security and other arrangements.
Officials said that the yatra is going on smoothly.
The authorities have made elaborate arrangements on both the yatra routes including accommodation, health, food, water and other necessary day-to-day needs for the pilgrims.
Meanwhile, more than 2,900 pilgrims left Jammu for the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine in the South Kashmir Himalayas amid tight security arrangements on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The 27th batch of 2,907 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here at 3:40 am in 103 vehicles under Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) escort.
The group included 2,194 men, 598 women, 11 children and 104 sadhus and sadhvis.
Of them, 1,773 pilgrims have opted for the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route, while 1,134 have chosen the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route, the officials said.
Since June 28, when Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of pilgrims from Jammu, a total of 1,28,404 pilgrims have embarked on the annual pilgrimage from the base camp here.
The 52-day yatra, which commenced formally on June 29 from the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in Kashmir, is scheduled to conclude on August 19.
