Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Jul 4: Amid multi-layer security cover and tight vigil in two days more than 26000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the holy Amarnath cave shrine, officials said on Friday.
According to official data, 14,515 pilgrims visited the holy cave shrine till 7 PM on Friday. The breakdown includes 11,440 males, 2,426 females, 91 children, 221 sadhus, 9 transgender devotees, and 328 personnel from the security forces. On Thursday, 12,348 pilgrims had visited the shrine, taking the total footfall to 26,863 over two days.
Meanwhile, the third batch of 6,411 pilgrims, which departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu early Friday, has reached the twin base camps of Baltal in Ganderbal and Nunwan in Pahalgam, Anantnag.
The batch travelled in 291 vehicles, including 130 buses, 46 medium motor vehicles (MMVs), 113 light motor vehicles (LMVs), and 2 two-wheelers, all moving under a strict multi-layer security cover, the officials said, adding that the third batch included 4,723 males, 1,071 females, 37 children, 487 sadhus, and 93 sadhvis. Of them, 2,789 pilgrims headed for Baltal, while 3,622 chose the Pahalgam route.
Pertinently, over 350,000 pilgrims have already registered online for this year’s pilgrimage. To accommodate the influx of devotees, 34 lodging centres have been established across Jammu.
Pilgrims are being issued Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags for tracking and safety. Additionally, 12 counters have been set up to facilitate on-the-spot registration.
The 38-day-long Yatra, which commenced on July 3, will culminate on August 9.
