More than 3.44 lakh pilgrims have performed darshan at the Amarnath cave shrine in two weeks, officials said on Thursday. Officials said 19,357 pilgrims drawn from different parts of the country paid obeisance at the 3,888-metre-high Himalayan cave on the 14th day of Darshan from the twin tracks of Baltal and Pahalgam today.
With this, a total of 3,44,000 pilgrims from different parts of the country and abroad had visited the holy cave in the last 14 days since the 57-day-long Yatra started on July 3, officials said.
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 treks — from Nunwan in Pahalgam and Baltal in Sonamarg — with pilgrims chanting religious hymns on their way to the cave shrine.
As per varied estimates, around 119,357 pilgrims from across the country visited the shrine in 14 separate batches from Pahalgam and Sonamarg.
So far, 14 batches have already performed 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, as well as the holy cave, for 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 tourism in 2026 after a deadly terror attack in April last year.
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