The 12th group of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, comprising 7,049 individuals, departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Sunday morning to offer prayers at the sacred Amarnath cave shrine located in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
According to officials, this group includes 1,423 women, 31 children, and 136 sadhus and sadhvis. The pilgrims began their journey towards the twin base camps—Nunwan in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal—in two separate, security-escorted convoys during the early hours.
A total of 4,158 pilgrims are en route to the Pahalgam base camp in a convoy consisting of 148 vehicles, while 2,891 devotees are traveling towards the Baltal base camp in 138 vehicles, officials reported.
The 38-day pilgrimage to the revered 3,880-meter-high cave shrine began on July 3 and will conclude on August 9, aligning with the celebration of Raksha Bandhan. So far, nearly 1.83 lakh devotees have undertaken the yatra to visit the naturally formed ice Shivlingam inside the Amarnath cave.
Elaborate security measures have been put in place to ensure the safe movement of pilgrims amid the challenging terrain and sensitive regional conditions.