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Braving heavy rain, a fresh batch of over 6,900 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Saturday (July 5, 2025) to pay a visit to the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
About 30,000 pilgrims have prayed at the 3,880 metre-high cave shrine since July 3 when the 38-day annual yatra commenced from the twin tracks in Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district.
The fourth batch of 6,979 pilgrims — 5,196 men, 1,427 women, 24 children, 331 sadhus and sadhvis and one transgender — left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in two separate convoys between 3.30 a.m. and 4.05 a.m. amid tight security, officials said.
While 4,226 pilgrims left in 161 vehicles for Nunwan base camp for the 48-kilometre traditional Pahalgam route, 2,753 pilgrims were headed for the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal route in 151 vehicles, they said.
In pictures: Amarnath Yatra begins in Kashmir
The first batch of the Amarnath pilgrims on their way to Amarnath cave at Railpathri near Baltal, on July 3, 2025.
The annual Amarnath Yatra that began on Thursday (July 3, 2025) started early morning from the twin tracks— the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal route.
A Sadhu smokes as he arrive at the base camp, for the annual Amarnath yatra pilgrimage, in Baltal, some 125 kilometers northeast of Srinagar.
Porters carry luggage on their shoulders for Amarnath pilgrims on their way to Amarnath cave at Railpathri near Baltal, on July 3, 2025.
The batches of pilgrims, including men, women and sadhus, left from the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, and Baltal base camp in Sonamarg area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal on the first day of the annual Amarnath Yatra on Thursday (July 3, 2025).
The unprecedented security cover this year comes in the wake of the Pahalgam attack on April 22 that left 26 civilians dead in the Baisaran meadow, which falls near the traditional Nunwan-Chandanwari yatra route in Anantnag district. The yatra began on Thursday (July 3, 2025).
The first batch of pilgrims leaves from a base camp at Baltal for the annual ‘Amarnath Yatra’, in Ganderbal district, on July 3, 2025.
An Amarnath pilgrim is carried on a palanquin by porters on their way to Amarnath cave at Railpathri near Baltal, on July 3, 2025.
The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Thursday, July 3, 2025. More than 3.31 lakh devotees have registered so far for this year’s Amarnath Yatra, officials said.
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With the fresh departure, a total of 24,528 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Valley since Wednesday, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the yatra from Jammu.
The yatra goes on as usual, albeit in tighter security, despite the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 men were gunned down.
The Bhagwati Nagar base camp has been put under a multi-tier security cover. More than 3.5 lakh people have registered online for the pilgrimage so far.
Thirty-four accommodation centres have been set up across Jammu, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are being issued to the pilgrims. Twelve counters have been set up for an on-the-spot registration of pilgrims.
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