JAMMU: More than 4,400 people left Jammu on Friday to join the pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas amid tight security, officials said.
They will leave for the temple situated at an altitude of 3,880 meters after reaching the two base camps of the yatra - Baltal and Pahalgam.
Officials said that till Thursday, 2,66,955 people visited the cave temple.
The 52-day pilgrimage, which began on June 29, is going on amid terrorist attacks in the Jammu region and a massive search operation to nab the terrorist who was ambushed in Kathua district on Monday, in which five Army personnel . were killed.
Officials said that in view of the situation, security has been beefed up at the Bhagwati Nagar base camp from where the pilgrims embarked on their journey from Jammu to Kashmir.
He said the 15th batch of 4,434 pilgrims left for the base camps at 3 am in 165 vehicles and were under CRPF security cover.
While 2,713 pilgrims will use the 48-km long traditional Pahalgam route for their journey, 1,721 will use the shorter but 14-km long Baltal route, officials said.
He said that the number of people who left Jammu for the journey with this group is 81,644.
The pilgrimage will end on August 19.
They will leave for the temple situated at an altitude of 3,880 meters after reaching the two base camps of the yatra - Baltal and Pahalgam.
Officials said that till Thursday, 2,66,955 people visited the cave temple.
The 52-day pilgrimage, which began on June 29, is going on amid terrorist attacks in the Jammu region and a massive search operation to nab the terrorist who was ambushed in Kathua district on Monday, in which five Army personnel . were killed.
Officials said that in view of the situation, security has been beefed up at the Bhagwati Nagar base camp from where the pilgrims embarked on their journey from Jammu to Kashmir.
He said the 15th batch of 4,434 pilgrims left for the base camps at 3 am in 165 vehicles and were under CRPF security cover.
While 2,713 pilgrims will use the 48-km long traditional Pahalgam route for their journey, 1,721 will use the shorter but 14-km long Baltal route, officials said.
He said that the number of people who left Jammu for the journey with this group is 81,644.
The pilgrimage will end on August 19.
