More than 3.24 lakh pilgrims have performed darshan at the Amarnath cave shrine in the first 13 days of the annual pilgrimage, officials said on Thursday. On Wednesday, 22,599 yatris paid obeisance at the shrine, taking the total count to 3,24,525 during the first 13 days of the yatra.
According to official stats, those who paid obeisance at the Baba Barfani shrine included 16,156 men, 5,665 women, 346 children, 86 sadhus, 13 sadhvis, 10 transgender devotees, and 323 security personnel.
The 57-day annual pilgrimage began on July 3, 2026, and is scheduled to conclude on August 28.
Devotees are trekking to the 3,880-metre-high Himalayan shrine via the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the shorter 14-km Baltal route.
The yatra started on both traditional routes—from Nunwan in Pahalgam and Baltal in Sonamarg—with pilgrims chanting religious hymns on their way to the cave shrine.
As per official estimates, around 1, 00,000 pilgrims from across the country visited the shrine in 14 batches from Pahalgam and Sonamarg. So far, 13 batches have completed the darshan and returned to the base camps, while others have also left, reports said.
The authorities have put in place multi-layered security arrangements along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, and the twin tracks of Baltal and Pahalgam, and at the holy cave to ensure the safe and smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.
A record number of yatris are expected to visit the cave shrine this year, while the administration is also hoping for record tourist in 2026 after the deadly terror attack in April last year.
Also read: Fresh batch of over 5,200 Amarnath pilgrims leave for Valley
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