National desk, 1 July: An ‘Aarti’ was done at the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu & Kashmir on Saturday morning as the first group of pilgrims began their journey towards the cave.
‘Aarti’ performed at Shri Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu & Kashmir, today morning. The first batch of pilgrims has started its journey towards the cave shrine,” officials from Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board posted the video.
The first group of pilgrims set off for Amarnath Cave from Baltal base camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal on Saturday to start the annual Amarnath Yatra.
Senior members of the Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board and the police together with Deputy Commissioner of Ganderbal, Shyambir flagged off the Yatra at the Baltal base camp.
“Today we are sending off the first batch of passengers from here. I wish everyone a happy journey. Passengers are requested to take advantage of all the facilities available to them. Right now there are around 7,000 to 8,000 passengers. Registration is still going on. Our volunteers are everywhere to help,” Shyambir, Deputy Commissioner of Ganderbal said.
The 62-day journey will come to an end on August 31.
The pilgrims will go a distance of 12 miles or roughly 13,000 feet from the base camp to the revered Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
For the Amarnath Yatra 2023, the first group of pilgrims arrived at Baltal base camp on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal. They were welcomed by the district administration at the Tikri Kali Mata Temple in the Udhampur district of Jammu & Kashmir.
One of the two routes for the yearly pilgrimage is Baltal located in the Ganderbal area of central Kashmir the other is the Pahalgam route located in the Anantnag district of south Kashmir.
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