SRINAGAR: More than 1,000 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Monday for the annual Amarnath Yatra under multi-layered security arrangements, officials said.
According to officials, the 26th batch comprising 1,056 pilgrims left for the Baltal base camp in 46 vehicles at around 2.50 am.
The batch included 832 men, 205 women, two children, 15 sadhus and two sadhvis.
Officials said that with Monday’s departure, the cumulative number of pilgrims who have left the Jammu base camp since the commencement of the pilgrimage has reached 1.40 lakh.
The annual pilgrimage has witnessed a strong turnout this year, with more than 4.50 lakh devotees having offered prayers at the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine in the Kashmir Himalayas since the yatra began on July 3.
The 57-day pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 28. Security personnel have maintained multi-tier security arrangements along the route to ensure the smooth and safe movement of pilgrims.
