In Jammu and Kashmir, amid tight security arrangements, the 11th batch of over 9,200 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims left the Jammu base camp in the early hours today for the twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam in Kashmir. A total of 9241 pilgrims including 6576 males, 2375 Females, 48 Children, 212 Sadhu and 30 Sadhvi left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp Jammu for Kashmir valley in a cavalcade of 306 vehicles under tight security arrangements today.

Among them, 3206 pilgrims preferred the shortest Baltal track while 6035 opted for the traditional and longest Nunwan-Pahalgam route. With this, 65,544 pilgrims have now departed the Jammu base camp for the Kashmir Valley since June 30. However, so far a total of 1, 46, 508 pilgrims have visited the Amarnath shrine since July 1. The 62 day annual pilgrimage to the 3,888-meter high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas commenced from the twin tracks of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on July 1 and is scheduled to conclude on August 31. The Yatra is progressing smoothly, with devotees from across the country thronging the base camps to have a glimpse of the naturally formed ice-shivlingam and offer their prayers.