Over 4,800 pilgrims leave Jammu base camp to join Amarnath Yatra

JAMMU: Amid chants of "Bum Bum Bholey", the 18th batch of more than 4,800 pilgrims left Jammu in the early hours of Monday for the twin base camps in Kashmir to join the Amarnath Yatra, officials said.

They were escorted by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.

According to the officials, 4,875 pilgrims -- 3,464 men, 1,333 women, 14 children, and 64 sadhus and sadhvis -- left for Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in Kashmir in 162 vehicles around 3 am.

While 2,957 pilgrims took the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route, 1,918 took the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route, the officials said.

With this, a total of 96,072 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Valley since June 28, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch.

The 52-day yatra began on June 29 and will conclude on August 19.

More than 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine last year.