Jammu, July 3: Over 74,000 pilgrims had ‘darshan’ inside the holy cave shrine of Amarnath during the last four days while another batch of 5,725 Yatris left for Kashmir on Wednesday.
Yatris take either the 48 km long traditional Pahalgam cave shrine route or the shorter 14 km long Baltal route to perform the Yatra.
The cave shrine situated 3888 metres above sea level houses an ice stalagmite structure that wanes and waxes with the phases of the moon.
Devotees believe that the ice stalagmite structure symbolises the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.
Extensive arrangements for security have been made this year all along the nearly 300 km long Jammu-Srinagar highway, the twin Yatra routes, the two base camps and the cave shrine to ensure a smooth, incident-free Yatra.
Over 124 ‘langars’ (community kitchens) have been set up along both the routes and also at the transit camps and the cave shrine.
Over 7,000 ‘Sevadars’ (Volunteers) are serving the Yatris during this year’s Yatra.
To manage the rush of the Yatris, the Railways have decided to add additional trains from July 3.
Helicopter services are also available for the Yatris on both routes.
