Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 30: Only 1814 pilgrims performed darshan at holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath ji in South Kashmir Himalayas on 32nd day of 55 days long annual pilgrimage today.
With this, total number of pilgrims paying obeisance to Lord Shiva in the holy cave shrine, has reached 3,33,606.
Yesterday, 4285 yatris had performed darshan at the cave shrine.
Meanwhile, a batch of 347 devotees today left the Jammu base camp for the cave shrine of Amarnath ji.
A convoy of nine vehicles, carrying the 33rd batch of 347 devotees, left the Yatri Niwas at Bhagwati Nagar at around 4:50 am to pay obeisance at the cave shrine in the Kashmir Valley, reports said.
The batch including 213 men, 48 women and 2 children, apart from 9 Sadhus reached twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal in the Valley late this evening.
Meanwhile, a yatri from Uttar Pradesh died due to heart attack after paying obeisance at the holy Amarnath cave shrine, official sources said.
With this a total of 13 pilgrims and a Sewadar have died due to health problems since the commencement of the yatra on June 28.
Sources said 63-year-old Indra Singh, a resident of Seema Nagar colony, UP, suffered a massive heart attack near the cave shrine after darshan yesterday.
She was immediately rushed to the nearby health centre, they said, adding she was declared dead by the doctors.
This year the number of death of the pilgrims has come down considerably as against last year, when about 120 yatris had died, mostly due to heart attack.
Besides improving health care, additional medical camps were set up on Pahalgam and Baltal tracks this year.
The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) had also allowed only those yatris to undertake the pilgrimage, who possessed valid ‘Yatra Permit’, which is issued only after presenting a medical certificate that the pilgrim is medically fit.
The Board also did not allow yatris above 75-year and below 13 years of age besides pregnant women to undertake the yatra.