Ganderbal, Jul 17: The annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra has crossed a major milestone, with more than 3.5 lakh devotees paying obeisance at the holy cave shrine of Baba Barfani during the first 15 days of the 57-day pilgrimage, highlighting the unprecedented response from pilgrims and the smooth conduct of the yatra through the twin routes of Baltal and Pahalgam.
Officials sources said the pilgrimage has been progressing peacefully under a multi-tier security grid and extensive logistical arrangements, with thousands of pilgrims undertaking the arduous journey to the Himalayan shrine every day. The continuous influx of devotees has made this year’s yatra one of the highest-attended in recent years, with authorities ensuring seamless coordination of security, traffic regulation, healthcare, sanitation and emergency services along both routes.
A fresh batch of 4,640 pilgrims on Friday left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu for the twin base camps in 171 vehicles. Of them, 1,626 pilgrims travelled to the Baltal axis in 66 vehicles, while 3,014 pilgrims proceeded to the Pahalgam axis in 105 vehicles. The Baltal convoy departed at 2:42 am, followed by the Pahalgam convoy at 3:11 am.
The batch comprised 3,448 men, 1,075 women, five children, 89 sadhus and 23 sadhvis, travelling in a convoy of 104 buses, 25 medium motor vehicles, 39 light motor vehicles and three two-wheelers.
Officials further said that by 8 pm, a total of 12,263 pilgrims had returned safely to Domail after performing darshan. The returnees included 8,227 men, 3,672 women, 165 children, 42 sadhus, 10 sadhvis, 10 transgender pilgrims and 137 security personnel, reflecting the smooth movement of yatris on the Baltal route.
The Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board, in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir administration, Police, Army, CAPFs and other stakeholder departments, has put in place elaborate arrangements, including round-the-clock security deployment, medical facilities, disaster response teams, sanitation services, traffic management and other essential amenities to facilitate the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.
The 57-day pilgrimage continues through both the traditional Pahalgam route in south Kashmir and the shorter Baltal route in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, with authorities expressing confidence that the yatra is progressing in an orderly and incident-free manner despite the heavy daily rush of devotees.
