Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, July 15: While a fresh batch of 3,398 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar Base Camp for holy cave of Shri Amarnath Ji situated at an altitude of 3880 metres in deep Himalayas in South Kashmir district of Anantnag this morning, 8,638 pilgrims paid obeisance of Ice Lingam in holy cave today.
Amid tight security, the 16th batch of 3,398 pilgrims today left Jammu for the 3,888-metre Amarnath cave shrine of Lord Shiva in the South Kashmir Himalayas, an official spokesman said.
Escorted by the CRPF and police, the batch consisting of 2,535 males, 758 females, 100 sadhus and sadhvis, left in a convoy of 191 vehicles for Baltal and Pahalgam base camps this morning, officials said.
With today’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.
Reports said 8,638 pilgrims performed darshan at holy cave today taking the total number of pilgrims visiting the holy cave to 1,95,491.
The spokesman said about 7000 pilgrims left for holy cave from twin base camps of Baltal, Sonamarg in Ganderbal district of Central Kashmir and Nunwan, Pahalgam in South Kashmir district of Anantnag this morning.
Out of them,3184 pilgrims left via shortest Domel track from Baltal base camp while 3681 pilgrims left via traditional Chandanwari-Sheshnag track from Nunwan-Pahalgam base camp.
Besides the pilgrims having night halt at halting stations of Sheshnag and Panchtarni also left for onwards sojourn this morning, the spokesman said.
Meanwhile one more pilgrim from Karnataka, died today taking the death toll during the annual pilgrimage so far to 23 since the commencement of the 40 day-yatra to holy Amarnath cave shrine on June 29.
Fifty-eight-year-old Nirmala Patel, wife of Shahi Patel, resident of Ranipora, Karnataka suffered a massive heart attack at Baltal base camp, a yatra official said today.
She was immediately rushed to nearby medical camp where doctors declared her as brought dead.
With this, a total of 17 yatris have died so far. Two of them died due to accidents caused by shooting stones and an accident while the other 15 passed away due to medical reasons. Seven pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured in a militant attack on their vehicle at Anantnag on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway recently.
One pilgrim from Telangana died due to a cylinder blast at Veesu-Mir Bazar, Qazigund, outside the Yatra area and two people, an ITBP personnel and an ISRO technician, died before the start of Yatra due to cardiac failure.
The yatra will conclude on Shravan Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) on August 7.
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