Over 7,000 more pilgrims leave Jammu base camp for Amarnath Yatra

Amid tight security, a fresh batch of over 7,000 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims left the base camp here early Friday morning for pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Lord Shiva in the south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

A total of 7,245 pilgrims -- 4,880 men,  1,936 women, 424 seers and six children -- left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp for the Valley in a convoy of 226 vehicles, they said.   The officials said 4,101 pilgrims, headed for the Pahalgam base camp, left in a convoy of 125 vehicles, while another convoy of 101 vehicles carrying 3,144 pilgrims left for the Baltal base camp in the Kashmir Valley.

With this 12th batch of yatris, a total of 72,789 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the valley since June 30.

So far, as many as 1,62,569 yatris have paid obeisance at the cave shrine and had 'darshan' of the naturally-formed 'Icelingum' since July 1, officials said.

The 62-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,888-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas commenced from the twin tracks of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on July 1. The yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 31.