Srinagar, Jul 27 (KNO): With the Pahalgam route remaining temporarily closed for repair and maintenance, the annual Amarnath Yatra continued smoothly through the Baltal axis on Monday, taking the total number of pilgrims who have paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine to 4,26,339 in the first 25 days of the pilgrimage.
Official figures available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reveal that 11,996 pilgrims paid obeisance on Monday.
Those who performed Yatra are 7,714 male pilgrims, 3,675 female pilgrims, 247 children, 76 sadhus, three sadhvis, two transgender devotees and 279 security personnel.
Meanwhile, the 20th batch of pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu for the Baltal base camp in the early hours of Monday under multi-layer security arrangements and arrived in Kashmir.
According to details available with KNO, the convoy comprising 140 vehicles, including 82 buses, 20 medium motor vehicles (MMVs) and 38 light motor vehicles (LMVs), departed at 2:47 am.
The batch consisted of 3,823 pilgrims, including 2,882 men, 838 women, two children, 84 sadhus and 17 sadhvis. No pilgrims were scheduled to travel via the Pahalgam route as it remained closed for maintenance.
Officials said the total number of pilgrims who have departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu since the commencement of the pilgrimage has reached 1,27,326.
The administration has temporarily suspended movement on the Pahalgam axis to facilitate repair and maintenance works, while the Yatra continues uninterrupted through the Baltal route under strict security arrangements—(KNO)