JAMMU: Officials said that a fresh batch of 4,903 pilgrims left the base camp here on Sunday to join the annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine of AmarnathJi in south Kashmir Himalayas.With this, a total of 12,807 pilgrims have made the journey since Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha set off the first group on June 30.Around 8,000 pilgrims offered prayers at the shrine on the first day of the 62-day yatra, which started on Saturday from both of the twin tracks – the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-km-long Baltal route in Ganderbal district. According to the officials, 2,346 pilgrims left in a convoy of 131 cars for the Baltal base camp early today, while 2,557 devotees, including 379 women and 226 sadhus, left in a convoy of 104 vehicles for Pahalgam. So far, more than 3.5 lakh people have signed up online for the pilgrimage.
