As of July 19, 4,821 more pilgrims departed for Kashmir, bringing the total number of pilgrims who had completed the annual Amarnath Yatra to almost 3.65 lakh.
Large number of yatris, who came from various places of the country, has received darshan inside the sacred cave sanctuary since it began on June 29. Sadhu, Saints, cine & political celebrities are among the piligrims who offered prayers to Lord Shiva at holy cave shrine.
On July 18, more than 14,000 pilgrims who came via the Pahalgam and Baltal pathways experienced darshan," according to officials.
“Another batch of 4821 Yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu in two escorted convoys for the Valley today. Of these, 1731 pilgrims left at 3.13 a.m. in an escorted convoy of 54 vehicles for the North Kashmir Baltal base camp while 3,090 Yatris left in another escorted convoy of 96 vehicles at 4 a.m. for the South Kashmir Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp. Both convoys are expected to reach the Valley by noon today for onward journey to the two-phase camps,” officials said.
An ice stalagmite (Shiva Linga) formation that changes in size according to the moon's phases is housed in the cave shrine. This ice stalagmite structure is considered by devotees to be a sign of Lord Shiva's mythological powers. The cave is located in the Kashmir Himalayas at a height of 3,888 meters above sea level. The traditional routes from North Kashmir Baltal to South Kashmir Pahalgam are the two ways that devotees access the cave shrine.
The Pahalgam-Cave shrine axis is 48 km long and it takes Yatris 4-5 days to reach the shrine. The Baltal-Cave shrine axis is 14 km long and it takes one day for the pilgrims to have ‘darshan’ and return to the base camp.
This year’s Yatra will conclude after 52 days on August 29 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals.