Record 8,815 Amarnath pilgrims leave Jammu, footfall nears 1 lakh in 5 days
The annual Amarnath Yatra continued to witness an overwhelming response on Tuesday, with the largest batch of pilgrims so far this year, 8,815 devotees, including
The annual Amarnath Yatra continued to witness an overwhelming response on Tuesday, with the largest batch of pilgrims so far this year, 8,815 devotees, including 31 foreign nationals, leaving the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for the holy cave shrine under multi-layered security arrangements. The record convoy departed as the number of devotees who have offered prayers at the 3,880-metre-high shrine crossed 93,000 within the first four days of the pilgrimage, which began on July 2 and will conclude on August 28.
Read Full Story Officials expect the figure to surpass the one-lakh mark later in the day, reflecting the unprecedented turnout for this year's yatra. According to officials, Tuesday's batch comprised 5,831 men, 2,193 women, 31 children, 598 sadhus, 131 sadhvis and 31 foreign nationals. Of these, 3,989 pilgrims travelling in 181 vehicles headed towards the Baltal base camp in Ganderbal district, while 4,826 devotees in 182 vehicles proceeded via the traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district.
In all, the convoy consisted of 363 vehicles. With Tuesday's departure, the total number of pilgrims leaving the Jammu base camp since the yatra commenced on July 2 has risen to 34,829. The latest convoy surpassed the previous highest daily movement of 6,721 pilgrims recorded on Sunday. Earlier, 5,794 devotees departed on Monday and 4,812 on July 4. Amid the unprecedented rush, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has advised unregistered devotees to postpone their journey for a few days, as all registration slots are fully booked until July 9.
Officials said only registered pilgrims will be allowed to proceed towards Kashmir, while those without valid registration will be stopped at designated checkpoints until fresh quotas become available. Ends
The BriefWire