Over 7,500 pilgrims visit Amarnath cave shrine, total crosses 1.59 lakh

Srinagar, Jul 6 (PTI) More than 7,500 pilgrims paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine on Saturday, taking the number of devotees who have had ‘darshan’ of the naturally formed ice lingam so far to over 1.59 lakh, officials here said.

The Amarnath Yatra began on June 29 from the twin tracks — the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal.

The yatra was temporarily suspended on Saturday morning in the wake of heavy rainfall, but resumed later in the day, they said.

“On Saturday, 7,552 pilgrims performed the yatra and had darshan of Baba Bholenath on the eighth day of the annual yatra,” officials said.

They said 5,019 male pilgrims, 1,406 female pilgrims, 118 sadhus and three sadhvis were among those who paid obeisance at the cave shrine. Also, 869 security personnel, three transgender persons and 134 children performed the pilgrimage, they said.

With this, the number of pilgrims who have visited the 3,800-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas has now reached 1,59,498, officials added.

Deaths of two devotees — a sevadar from Haryana and a pilgrim from Jharkhand — have been reported during this year’s yatra so far. Both of them suffered a cardiac arrest on the Baltal route in June, according to the officials.

The 52-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 19. More than 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine last year.