Jammu, Jul 05: More than 47,000 devotees have offered prayers at the sacred Amarnath Cave Shrine in the initial three days of the Yatra, officials said on Saturday. The pilgrimage, unfolding under tight security and multi-tier protection, continues to witness a strong turnout.
On Saturday alone, 21,109 pilgrims visited the cave shrine, including 16,159 men, 3,921 women, 226 children, 250 sadhus, 29 sadhvis, 3 transgender devotees, and 521 members of the security forces. This pushed the overall count since the Yatra began to 47,972.
Meanwhile, the fourth batch of 6,979 pilgrims departed early Saturday from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu towards the twin Yatra base camps of Baltal (Ganderbal) and Nunwan (Pahalgam, Anantnag), escorted under heightened security.
The convoy comprised 312 vehicles—136 buses, 70 medium motor vehicles (MMVs), and 106 light motor vehicles (LMVs)—and carried 5,196 male pilgrims, 1,427 females, 24 children, 247 sadhus, 84 sadhvis, and one transgender devotee. Of these, 2,753 chose the Baltal route while 4,226 opted for the Pahalgam track.
On Friday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had remarked that devotees from across India are visiting the shrine for Baba Amarnath’s darshan, and are being warmly received by the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He assured that the Union Territory administration, the Government of India, and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board have ramped up services to provide a secure and spiritually enriching experience for all pilgrims.
He added that those arriving before their scheduled dates will be accommodated but advised pilgrims to wait for their turn, as preference will be given to those with confirmed registrations—(KNO)
