Jammu, Jul 4 (NVI): The third batch of 4,812 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu early Saturday for the annual Amarnath Yatra amid multi-layered security arrangements, officials said.
According to officials, the batch departed in a convoy of 259 vehicles for the twin base camps of Baltal in Ganderbal district and Nunwan in Pahalgam Of the total pilgrims, 2,041 are travelling via the shorter Baltal route, while 2,771 are heading for the traditional Pahalgam route.
The batch includes 3,434 men, 966 women, 11 children, 244 sadhus and 157 sadhvis. The convoy comprises 95 buses, 47 medium motor vehicles, 116 light motor vehicles and one two-wheeler.
Officials said the Baltal-bound convoy left Bhagwati Nagar at around 3 am, followed by the Pahalgam-bound convoy at 3.24 am under tight security.
Meanwhile, the second batch of pilgrims began their onward trek from the Baltal and Nunwan base camps towards the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas on Saturday.
Pilgrims expressed satisfaction over the elaborate security arrangements, saying they had enhanced their confidence during the pilgrimage.
The 57-day Amarnath Yatra commenced on July 3 and is scheduled to conclude on August 28, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.—(NVI)
