Srinagar: The first batch of devotees have started their journey to the Amarnath cave shrine from three base camps on Tuesday amid tight security arrangements.
Officials said that nearly 12,000 pilgrims began the two-month annual pilgrimage.
But more than 2,500 pilgrims traveling from Jammu to the base camp at Baltal have been stranded since early Wednesday morning as the Jammu-Srinagar highway has been blocked because of a landslip in Udhampur district.
Efforts are on to clear the route for traffic. Meanwhile, the pilgrimage continues for those who have already reached the base camps.
On Wednesday over 6000 pilgrims left for the cave shrine via the shortest Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
Another 2,500 devotees started the journey from the Nunwan base camp along the traditional Pahalgam route.
The first ritual darshan of the naturally formed ice-lingam in the cave will take place later on Wednesday.
A three-tier security is in place with over 6,000 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel guarding the route.
"We're from Yamunanagar and this is the first time we're visiting. We want to thank the Indian Army, the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the people of the state for making this pilgrimage easier and more comfortable. We're enjoying," a young girl said.
Nunwan, the first of the four base camps, was attacked twice in the last eight years by terrorists resulting in many casualties.
Earlier, the first batch of 2,837 pilgrims began the Yatra from Jammu and was scheduled to reach Baltal and Nunwan base camps on Wednesday evening before leaving for the holy cave on Thursday.
(With inputs from Mufti Islah)
Comments
0 comment