Jammu, July 14 : During the last 15 days since it started on June 29, nearly three lakh devotees performed Amarnath Yatra as another batch of 4,889 enthusiastic pilgrims left for Kashmir valley on Sunday.
Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) officials said nearly three lakh devotees had ‘Darshan’ inside the holy cave during the last 15 days while 4,889 Yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in two escorted convoys for the Valley today morning.
Of these, the first escorted convoy carrying 1,896 pilgrims in 78 vehicles left at 3.05 a.m. for north Kashmir’s Baltal base camp.
Second escorted convoy carrying 2993 pilgrims in 105 vehicles left at 3.55 a.m. for south Kashmir’s Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp.
The cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that wanes and waxes with the phases of the moon. Devotees believe that this ice stalagmite structure symbolises mythical powers of Lord Shiva.
The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 metres above the sea-level in Kashmir Himalayas. Devotees approach the cave shrine either from the traditional south Kashmir Pahalgam route or the north Kashmir Baltal route.
The Pahalgam-Cave shrine axis is 48 km long and it takes Yatris 4-5 days to reach the shrine. The Baltal-Cave shrine axis is 14 Km long and it takes one day for the pilgrims to have ‘Darshan’ and reach back to the base camp.
4,434 Yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu in two escorted convoys for the Valley on Sunday.
The first escorted convoy carrying 1,721 pilgrims in 64 vehicles left at 3 a.m. for north Kashmir’s Baltal base camp. The second escorted convoy carrying 2,713 pilgrims in 101 vehicles left at 3.35 a.m. for south Kashmir Nunwan’s (Pahalgam) base camp.
This year’s Yatra will conclude after 52 days on August 29 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
–IANS