Jammu, 03 August (H.S.): The 26th batch of over 1,000 devotees left Jammu base camp on Monday for the annual Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir amid multi-tier security arrangements, officials said.

Over 4.50 lakh pilgrims have visited the 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in Kashmir Himalayas since the commencement of the yatra on July 3. The 57-day yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 28.

As many 1,056 pilgrims left from Bhagwati Nagar basecamp here for Baltal in 46 vehicles around 2.50 am, they said.

The pilgrims included 832 men, 205 women, two children, 15 sadhus and two sadhvis.

With departure of today's batch, the total number of pilgrims who have left the Jammu base camp for the annual pilgrimage has risen to 1.40 lakh, officials said.

This is the smallest batch that has left for the yatra.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar