Fresh batch of pilgrims leave for Amarnath yatra after day-long suspension

After a day-long suspension, the Amarnath yatra resumed from Jammu Tuesday with a fresh batch of 5,964 pilgrims leaving a base camp here to pay obeisance at 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

The 46-day yatra, which started from the twin tracks of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on July 1, crossed the one lakh-mark on Monday.

Braving rains which lashed wide parts of Jammu, the ninth batch of 5,964 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in a fleet of 254 vehicles under tight security cover early Tuesday. The batch will reach the Valley later in the day, the officials said.

They said this batch has the highest number of pilgrims who left for the yatra in a single day so far.

The yatra was suspended on Monday owing to general strike called by separatists in the valley to mark the third death anniversary of former Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

In Tuesday's batch, 3997 pilgrims, including 640 women, 15 children and 286 seers are heading for Pahalgam to undertake the pilgrimage from the traditional 36-km track, while 1967 pilgrims, including 403 women, eight children and 47 seers have taken the shorter 14-km Baltal track.

With this, a total of 42,273 pilgrims have left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp since the commencement of the yatra from Jammu on June 30, a day ahead of the official start of the annual pilgrimage in Kashmir valley.

Officials said the yatra is progressing smoothly and till Monday evening, 1,11,655 pilgrims had performed 'darshan' at the holy cave, housing the naturally formed ice-shivlingam.