Record 8,815 pilgrims leave Jammu for Amarnath Yatra in sixth batch

Jammu : A record 8,815 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu on Tuesday as part of the sixth batch of the annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra, marking the highest single-day departure of the pilgrimage season so far.

An official told the news agency, the pilgrims departed under elaborate security arrangements in a convoy of 363 vehicles for the twin base camps at Baltal and Pahalgam.

He said, 3,989 pilgrims travelling in 181 vehicles left for the Baltal route at 3:35 am, while 4,826 pilgrims in 182 vehicles departed for the traditional Pahalgam route at 4:08 am.

The batch comprises 5,831 men, 2,193 women, 30 children, 598 sadhus, 131 sadhvis, one child sadhu, and 31 foreign male pilgrims.

The official said the convoy comprised 172 buses, 58 medium motor vehicles (MMVs), 130 light motor vehicles (LMVs), and three two-wheelers.

With Tuesday’s departure, the Yatra has continued to witness a steady rise in pilgrim turnout. More than 86,000 devotees have paid obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high holy Amarnath cave shrine during the first four days of the 57-day annual pilgrimage, which commenced on July 3.—(KNO)