Over the past 19 days, more than 350,000 devotees have visited the Amarnath cave shrine to pay homage. Another group of 4,383 pilgrims departed for the Kashmir valley on Thursday. The annual Yatra to this Himalayan shrine in Anantnag district, Jammu & Kashmir, has been proceeding peacefully under the security provided by police and CAPF along the Yatra route, transit points, and base camps. The Yatra has two main tracks from south and north Kashmir for pilgrims to approach the cave shrine.
On Wednesday alone, 13,000 pilgrims had the opportunity to see the sacred ice stalagmite inside the cave shrine, adding to the total Yatra count which has now exceeded 350,000 since it began on June 29.
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According to officials from the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), responsible for managing the Yatra, a convoy of 4,383 Yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu on Thursday. The first convoy, with 1,701 Yatris in 66 vehicles, departed at 3:14 a.m. for Baltal base camp in north Kashmir. The second convoy, carrying 2,682 Yatris in 91 vehicles, left at 4 a.m. for Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp in south Kashmir.
The annual Yatra, overseen by J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, revolves around the belief that the ice stalagmite in the cave symbolizes the divine powers of Lord Shiva. The cave, located at an altitude of 3,888 meters above sea level, is accessible via the traditional Pahalgam and Baltal routes.
This year’s Yatra, scheduled to conclude on August 29 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals, continues to attract devotees from various parts of India.
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