6,351 pilgrims leave for Amarnath shrine from Jammu amid tight security

Amid tight security, the six batch of over 6,300 Amarnath pilgrims on Tuesday left for 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir, officials said.

A total of 6,351 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas here in a convoy of 239 vehicles amid heavy security of CRPF, the officials said.

Of these, 4,864 are males, 1,284 females, 56 children, 127 sadhus, 19 sadhvis and one transgender, they said.

They said 2,028 pilgrims heading for Baltal base camp were the first to leave in 88 vehicles around 3.35 am followed by the second convoy of 151 vehicles carrying 4,323 pilgrims for Pahalgam camp in Kashmir.

The annual 43-day pilgrimage commenced on June 30 from the twin base camps -- Nunwan in Pahalgam of south Kashmir's Anantnag and Baltal camp in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district.

Till today, over 72,000 pilgrims had offered their prayers at the cave shrine, housing the naturally formed ice-Shivlingam, the officials said.

The Yatra is scheduled to end on August 11 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.