Jammu, 18 July (H.S.): A fresh batch of more than 3,600 Shri Amarnath Yatra pilgrims left from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas base camp in Jammu on Saturday for the twin base camps of the cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas amid tight security arrangements.

Officials said that 3,632 pilgrims left the Jammu base camp early this morning in a fleet of 148 vehicles comprising Light Motor and Heavy Motor Vehicles.

The batch comprised 1,008 pilgrims for Baltal and 2,624 for Pahalgam. They left for the pilgrimage under a multi-layered security grid, with coordinated arrangements by the civil administration, police, security forces and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board to ensure the Yatra is conducted safely, securely and smoothly.

Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra has set a historic new record, crossing the 3.5 lakh mark in just 15 days.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of yatra on July 2 from Jammu.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar