Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Jul 24: The annual Amarnath Yatra continued on Thursday with around 9,000 pilgrims paying obeisance at the holy cave shrine, nestled in Himalayas, in Kashmir.
Officials said that with this, the cumulative figure of devotees who have undertaken the pilgrimage since its commencement on July 3 has reached 3.52 lakh. “A total of 9,482 pilgrims performed darshan at the sacred cave on Thursday. Among them were 6,805 men, 2,130 women, 137 children, 73 sadhus, 3 sadhvis, 4 transgender persons, and 330 security personnel,” they added.
While the footfall at the shrine remained good, the number of pilgrims departing from Jammu—the starting point for most yatris—has shown a consistent downward trend over the past few days.
From 7,908 pilgrims on July 18, the number dropped to 6,365 on July 19, 4,388 on July 20, 3,791 on July 21, 3,536 on July 22, 2,837 on July 23, and 3,500 on Thursday.
“Even though there is a slight decline in pilgrim turnout from Jammu, the overall yatra is proceeding without disruptions. All necessary facilities including shelter, food, medical assistance, and route security are fully operational,” an official said.
Of these, the first escorted convoy of 45 vehicles carrying 832 yatris left for the Baltal base camp, while the second convoy of 95 vehicles carrying 2,668 yatris left the Pahalgam base camp, officials said.
This year’s Amarnath Yatra, scheduled to conclude on August 9.
