Early Sunday morning, a new group of 3,113 pilgrims, including 707 women, departed from a base camp in Jammu to participate in the annual Amarnath pilgrimage in the south Kashmir Himalayas, officials reported.
The 52-day pilgrimage began on 29 June, with routes starting from Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal districts.
Till date, nearly 3.9 lakh pilgrims have visited the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine, which houses the naturally formed ice shivlingam.
Milestones of one lakh, two lakh, and three lakh pilgrims were reached on July 10, July 15, and July 20, respectively, according to official figures.
The 24th batch, including 87 sadhus and 15 sadhvis, left Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar base camp at approximately 2:55 am in a convoy of 123 vehicles, under tight security.
Of these pilgrims, 1,960 will take the traditional 48-km route via Pahalgam, while 1,153 have chosen the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route.
The pilgrimage is set to conclude on 'Shravan Purnima,' which coincides with Raksha Bandhan on 19 August. Last year, over 4.5 lakh pilgrims visited the shrine.
Security measures have been heightened, especially as pilgrim numbers reach significant milestones.
A robust security framework includes the deployment of thousands of personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jammu and Kashmir Police, and other security agencies.
Drones and CCTV cameras have been installed along the routes and at base camps to further enhance safety.
Regular patrolling and checks are conducted to safeguard the pilgrims throughout their journey.
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