Second batch of Amarnath pilgrims leaves Jammu

Second batch of annual Amarnath Yatra pilgrims on Friday left Jammu city for the Himalayan cave shrine in South Kashmir's Anantnag district.

"Second batch of 2887 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar Yatra Niwas in Jammu in a convoy for the Valley," a senior official of the district administration told IANS here.

The two-month long Hindu pilgrimage to the Himalayan Cave Shrine situated 14 ,500 feet above the sea level started on Thursday.

It will end on August 29 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals.

Over 8000 Yatris had "Darshan" inside the cave shrine on Thursday. The pilgrims reach the cave shrine through the North Kashmir Baltal and south Kashmir Pahalgam routes.

State Governor N.N. Vohra and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh paid obeisance and prayed for peace and prosperity of the country at the cave shrine on Thursday during the traditional "Pratham Puja" that heralds the beginning of the annual Yatra.

The cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that waxes and wanes with the phases of the Moon.

Devotees believe that the ice stalagmite structure called the "Lingam" symbolised mythical powers of Lord Shiva.