Jammu, June 28 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday flagged off the first batch of pilgrims embarking on the Amarnath Yatra from here to start this year’s 52-day-long pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine.
Amid the chanting of religious hymns, a batch of 4,603 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas here in two escorted convoys.
DGP, R.R. Swain and other senior officers were present at the flagging-off ceremony.
Of the 4,603 pilgrims, 1,933 are bound for the north Kashmir Baltal route and 2,670 are going to the south Kashmir Numwan (Pahalgam) base camp.
Among the pilgrims, there are 3,631 males, 711 females, 9 children, 237 Sadhus and 15 Sadhvis.
The first escorted convoy left at 5.45 a.m. for Baltal base camp while the second convoy left for Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp at 6.20 a.m.
Pilgrims either take the 48 km-long traditional Pahalgam route or the shorter 14 km-long Baltal route to reach the shrine.
Those using the Pahalgam route take four days to reach the cave shrine while those taking the Baltal route return on the same day after paying obeisance.
The 52-day-long pilgrimage this year will end on August 19 coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan and Shravan Purnima festivals.
Extensive arrangements for security have been made all along the pilgrimage routes, at the two base camps and the shrine to ensure a smooth, incident-free Yatra.
Helicopter services are also available for the pilgrims on both routes.
–IANS
sq/sha
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
