JAMMU, July 13: With holy Amarnath Ji yatra gaining momentum day by day, over 17,000 pilgrims drawn from different parts of country paid obeisance at 3880 metre Himalayan cave in South Kashmir district of Anantnag on the 11th day of pilgrimage today.
According to officials, a fresh batch of 17,317 pilgrims drawn from different parts of country performed darshan from twin tracks of Baltal and Nunwan-Pahalgam in holy cave by this evening. With this the total number of yatris visiting cave shrine in last 11 days has touched 2,000,63.
Among the 17,317 pilgrims who performed darshan at cave shrine today included 12,210 males, 4202 females, 264 children, 103 Sadhus, 18 Sadhvis, six Transgender and 514 security personnel, officials said.They said the weather was cloudy in the morning but it rained in the afternoon. However the yatra plied normally without any disturbance from both the tracks.
Officials said there is heavy rush at both the base camps of Nunwan Pahalgam and Baltal with thousands of pilgrims reaching the twin base camps daily for onwards sojourn. The yatris are in jubilant mood and they enjoy the pilgrimage of holy cave, they said.
Meanwhile, the 12th batch of 7,049 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar base camp here today to pay obeisance at the holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
The pilgrims, including 1,423 women, 31 children and 136 Sadhus and Sadhvis, left for the twin base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal in separate convoys under tight security arrangements in the early hours of the day, they said.
While 4,158 pilgrims are heading for Pahalgam base camp in a convoy of 148 vehicles, 2891 pilgrims on board 138 vehicles have preferred the Baltal route, the officials said.
The 38-day annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine started from the two routes on July 3 and is scheduled to end on August 9, coinciding with the Sawan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festival.
Reports reaching here from Srinagar said three buses part of the Amarnath Yatra convoy collided on Sunday on their way back to a base camp in Kulgam district injuring at least 10 pilgrims.
The injured pilgrims were taken to a hospital for treatment, officials said.
The convoy was returning after pilgrims had their darshan at the cave shrine.
Officials said the condition of all injured was stated to be stable. Three buses were damaged in the road accident.
Other pilgrims from the affected buses were moved to reserve buses and the convoy went ahead with the onward journey, they added.
Officials said the condition of injured is out of danger and they were given treatment in a local hospital at Khemoh Kulgam where from later they were referred to Government Medical College Anantnag.
Officials said that thousands of pilgrims are also reaching Jammu from different areas of the country to embark on holy pilgrimage and there is a heavy rush at Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas , Saraswati Dham and other lodgements where Yatris are putting up.