Anatnag (Jammu and Kashmir): The annual Amarnath Yatra in the Kashmir Himalayas continued on Day 7 as the eighth batch of 6919 left from Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu towards the Amarnath cave. The Yatra continues from both the routes-- Pahalgam and Baltal peacefully amid tight security arrangements.
An official said that batch 8th of 6919 yatris left for the Valley in 259 vehicles on Friday early morning to reach Pahalgam and Baltal in the Kashmir valley to perform rituals at the Amarnath holy cave.
The yatries who left from Jammu on Friday morning towards Kashmir included 5241 men, 2435 women, 16 children, 214 sadhus and 13 sadhvis. The yatris are escorted by the police and security forces.
The pilgrims halted at the transit camp Qazigund where they left for the destination. Through the Baltal track 2542 yatris left for the cave in 109 vehicles and 4377 pilgrims from the Pahalgam axis in 150 vehicles.
Weather Advisory:
The Meteorological department has predicted intermittent spells of moderate and heavy rains in and around the holy cave of Amarnath in the next 24 hours.
The Amarnath cave is situated 3,888 metres above sea level. Located deep inside the Himalayas, the cave shrine can be accessed through the Anantnag-Pahalgam axis and the Ganderbal-Sonamarg-Baltal axis.
Most yatris take the Baltal route, a shorter 16 km trek from Baltal to the shrine along a steep, winding mountain trail. This route takes pilgrims 1-2 days to reach the cave.
The other is the Pahalgam route, which is approximately 36-48 km from the cave and takes 3-5 days to cover. While this is a longer journey, it is a little easier and less steep.
The 52-day Amarnath Yatra started on 29 June and will continue till August 19.
