Srinagar, Jul 14 (KNO): The annual Amarnath Yatra has entered its twelfth day and continues to proceed smoothly, witnessing a steady rise in the number of pilgrims each day.
As of Monday, over 2.20 lakh devotees have offered prayers at the holy cave shrine since the pilgrimage began on July 3.
Officials told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that a total of 20,448 pilgrims performed ‘darshan’ at the 3,800-meter-high holy cave shrine on Monday including 14,145 men, 5,214 women, 242 children, 84 sadhus, six sadhvis and 757 security force personnel paid their respects at the holy cave shrine.
Over the last twelve days, a total of 2,20,511 pilgrims have undertaken the ongoing pilgrimage, officials said.
They said the annual pilgrimage has been progressing smoothly amid tight security arrangements and favourable weather conditions.
On Sunday, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced that the ongoing Amarnath Yatra has surpassed the 2-lakh mark, with devotees continuing to throng the holy cave shrine.
In a post on X, LG Sinha expressed his joy, stating, "With Baba Amarnath Ji's blessings, the holy pilgrimage has crossed the 2 lakh mark today. This is a sacred journey of a lifetime, and I welcome all the devotees to discover and experience the divinity. Har Har Mahadev!"
Meanwhile, the 13th batch of 6,143 pilgrims undertaking the annual Amarnath Yatra left from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu on Monday morning amid tight security arrangements.
Officials said that the pilgrims were divided into two escorted convoys heading towards the twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam. The first convoy comprising 100 vehicles left for the Baltal base camp in Central Kashmir's Ganderbal district, carrying 2,215 pilgrims. The second convoy of 135 vehicles departed for the Nunwan base camp in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam, with 3,928 pilgrims on board.
The Baltal-bound pilgrims included 1,646 men, 507 women, 5 children, 44 sadhus and 13 sadhvis.
“The Pahalgam-bound group consisted of 3,045 men, 741 women, 12 children, 123 sadhus and 7 sadhvis. In terms of transportation, 235 vehicles were used for Monday’s convoy, including 100 for Baltal and 135 for Pahalgam,” official said.
The annual yatra started on July 3 and will culminate on August 9, the officials added—(KNO)