Jammu, 29 July (H.S.): The 27th batch of 1490 pilgrims left Jammu for the twin base camps of 3, 880-meter-high cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas amid tight security arrangements.

More than 3.86 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at ‘ice lingum’ of Lord Shiva at the cave shrine since the 38-day pilgrimage commenced on July 3 from the valley.

The 27th batch of pilgrims, which included 1,262 men, 186 women, 42 sadhus and sadhvis, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here in 61 vehicles for the twin base camps in Kashmir between 3:25 am and 3.57 am escorted by CRPF and police personnel, officials said.

The first pilgrim convoy, carrying 327 pilgrims in 16 vehicles, left for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in the Ganderbal district, followed by the second convoy of 1,163 pilgrims in 45 vehicles, who are undertaking the yatra via the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route in the Anantnag district, they said. With this, a total of 14,27,85 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base camp for the valley since July 2, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch.

Last year, more than 5.10 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine, which houses a naturally formed ‘ice lingam’.

The pilgrimage is scheduled to end on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar