The first batch of Amarnath pilgrims left for Pahalagam and Batla on Friday morning from the Yatri Niwas base camp at Bhagwati Nagar. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Singh flagged off the first batch of pilgrims amid tight security.
The first batch left for the twin base camps in Kashmir to undertake a pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
The 62-day-long pilgrimage will officially begin on July 1 from the twin tracks of Nunwan-Pahalgam and Baltal. The traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district is longer while the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district is shorter but steeper. Over 3,500 pilgrims have already arrived in Jammu to proceed to Amarnath.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday night visited the yatri niwas base camp and reviewed arrangements put in place for the pilgrims, an official spokesperson said. He made sure full arrangements have been made by the administration. Sinha also welcomed the pilgrims from across the country who had arrived at the base camp.
The city administration began the process for on-the-spot registration of unregistered pilgrims and sadhus arriving here for the pilgrimage.
While an on-the-spot registration centre has been set up for unregistered pilgrims in Shalimar area of the city, a special camp for the registration of sadhus has been set up at Purani Mandi-based Ram temple complex.
The registration of unregistered pilgrims and sadhus arriving here from all parts of the country has begun on the spot at the counter here, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Nargesh Singh told PTI.
