Srinagar: Amid unprecedented security, the annual Amarnath Yatra commenced on Thursday, with the first batch of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps at Baltal and Nunwan to begin their journey to the cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
Over 5000 Yatris, chanting “Bam Bam Bhole” and “Har Har Mahadev,” started early in the morning from the twin tracks- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday morning flagged off the first batch of pilgrims from the Bhagwati Nagar Base Camp in Jammu. The pilgrims had reached the twin base camps of Nunwan and Baltal from Jammu last evening and the government has made elaborate arrangements.
Officials said of the first batch, over 2000 pilgrims began the Yatra through Baltal and over 3000 via Pahalgam.
From Nunwan Pahalgam the Yatra was flagged by Deputy Commissioner Anantnag Syeed Fakhruddin Hamid and Senior Superintendent of Police Anantnag Amritpal Singh.
“The sacred Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2025 commences with divine zeal from the Anantnag axis..,” Deputy Commissioner Anantnag posted on X.
This year’s Amarnath pilgrimage comes more than two months after a deadly terror attack at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, in which 25 tourists and a local were killed. In wake of the attack, registration for the Amaranth Yatra has seen a dip of over 10 per cent.
