In Jammu and Kashmir, over 4.90 lakh pilgrims have so far visited the Amarnath Ji cave shrine situated at the height of 3,880 metres in Anantnag district, housing an Ice-Shivling. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that the 38th batch of 1112 pilgrims today left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas base camp in Jammu for the Kashmir valley to perform a pilgrimage to the Amarnath Cave Shrine. The pilgrims left the base camp in a cavalcade of 40 vehicles early this morning. The batch included 910 Men, 159 Women, 31 Sadhus and 12 Sadhvies. Of these 204 pilgrims left for Baltal base camp and 908 for Pahalgam base camp from where they will proceed for their further journey to the holy cave shrine.

On the 36th day of pilgrimage yesterday, 4787 devotees from twin tracks of Baltal and Chandanwari- Pahalgam besides special choppers paid obeisance in the holy cave. With this, a total number of pilgrims visiting holy cave since the first day of darshan on June 29 has reached 4,90,101. Around 5 thousand pilgrims are still visiting the cave on a daily basis to offer their prayers. The pilgrimage will enter its final phase on August 14 when the ‘Chharri Mubarak’, the holy mace of Lord Shiva, led by its sole custodian Mahant Deependra Giri will join the Yatra in Pahalgam.