9073 have darshan on Tuesday; pilgrimage surpasses last year’s total of over 4.14 lakh devotees
Srinagar : A fresh batch of 3,029 Amarnath pilgrims, including 30 foreign male devotees, reached the Baltal base camp on Tuesday after departing from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu under tight security arrangements, officials said.
Reports said that 21st batch left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas at 2:45 am in a convoy of 151 vehicles, comprising 57 buses, 30 medium motor vehicles (MMVs), 58 light motor vehicles (LMVs) and six two-wheelers, while no convoy was dispatched for the Pahalgam route. The batch comprised 2,310 male pilgrims, 590 women, 14 children, 45 sadhus, 40 sadhvis, and 30 foreign male pilgrims. Meanwhile, an incredible 9,073 pilgrims paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine on Tuesday—comprising 5,526 men, 3,090 women, 162 children, 41 sadhus, 12 sadhvis, three transgender devotees, and 239 security personnel—taking the total number of devotees who have undertaken the pilgrimage since its commencement on July 3 to 4,35,412. The total number of pilgrims departing from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu this season has reached 1,30,355, officially pushing this year’s footfall past last year’s total of over 4.14 lakh devotees. Nestled at an altitude of 3,880 metres in the Himalayas, the revered cave shrine continues to draw thousands daily across its two main base camps at Baltal and Nunwan (Pahalgam) as it aims toward historical peaks like 2024’s 5.12 lakh and the record highs of 2011 and 2012.
