Amarnath yatra: 2,896 pilgrims leave for shrine from Jammu
On Friday morning, the 23rd batch of the Amarnath Yatra—2,896 people strong—headed out from Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar base camp.
The group included over 2,500 men and more than 300 women, all traveling with police and CRPF security.
This year's yatra kicked off on July 2 and wraps up August 9.
Pilgrims take either Baltal or Pahalgam route
Pilgrims chose between two paths: about 790 took the steeper but shorter Baltal route (14km), while over 2,100 went for the longer Pahalgam trek (48km).
Both trails are classic ways to reach the famous cave shrine.
Over 1.36 lakh devotees have visited shrine so far
Since July began, 136,774 people have joined the pilgrimage to see the natural ice lingam inside the cave.
The yatra is open to anyone aged 13 to 70, with a daily limit of around 15,000 participants.
It all ends on August 9—which lines up with Raksha Bandhan this year.