Jammu: 16th batch of 3,398 pilgrims leaves for Amarnath cave shrine
The sixteenth batch of pilgrims leaves from Jammu for the Amarnath cave shrine in Kashmir.
Amid tight security, the sixteenth batch of 3,398 pilgrims left Jammu on Saturday for the 3,888-metre Amarnath cave shrine of Lord Shiva in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
Escorted by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police, the batch consisting of 2,535 males, 758 females, 100 sadhus and sadhvis, and five transgenders left in a convoy of 191 vehicles for Baltal and Pahalgam base camps on Saturday morning, officials said.
With Saturday's batch, a total of 50,028 pilgrims have left Jammu for Amarnath in 16 batches since the yatra began from Jammu on June 28.
Over 1,86,853 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the cave shrine till Friday.
The yatra will conclude on Shravan Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) on August 7.