Record 8,800 Pilgrims Depart Jammu for Amarnath Yatra in Biggest Batch Yet

The largest batch of pilgrims so far this year departed from Jammu on Tuesday for the annual Amarnath Yatra, with 8,815 devotees, including 31 foreign nationals, leaving the Bhagwati Nagar base camp under tight security arrangements. The departure marked another significant milestone in this year’s pilgrimage, which has witnessed a strong turnout since it began on July 2. According to officials, more than 93,000 pilgrims have offered prayers at the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine in the south Himalayas during the first four days of the yatra.

Authorities expect the number of devotees to cross the one lakh mark later in the day as more pilgrims continue to reach the shrine through the two designated routes. The sixth batch of pilgrims included 5,831 men, 2,193 women, 31 children, 598 sadhus, 131 sadhvis and 31 foreign nationals. Of the total, 3,989 pilgrims travelled in 181 vehicles towards the Baltal base camp in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, while 4,826 devotees boarded 182 vehicles for the traditional Pahalgam route in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. In all, Tuesday’s convoy comprised 363 vehicles.

With the latest departure, the total number of pilgrims who have left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu since the start of the yatra has reached 34,829. Security agencies have deployed extensive arrangements along both routes, with multi-layered security, surveillance and traffic management measures in place to ensure the safe movement of pilgrims through the Union Territory. The Bhagwati Nagar base camp reverberated with chants of “Bam Bam Bhole”, “Har Har Mahadev” and “Jai Barfani Baba Ki” as devotees set out on the spiritual journey.

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Many pilgrims praised the facilities provided by the administration, including accommodation, medical assistance, transportation and security arrangements, saying the preparations had made their journey smoother and more comfortable. Tuesday’s convoy became the largest to leave Jammu since the commencement of the pilgrimage, surpassing the previous highest single-day movement of 6,721 pilgrims recorded on Sunday. Earlier, 5,794 devotees departed on Monday, while 4,812 pilgrims had set out on July 4, indicating a steady increase in participation as the pilgrimage progresses.

The annual Amarnath Yatra is one of Hinduism’s most significant religious pilgrimages, attracting devotees from across India and abroad. Pilgrims undertake the challenging journey to the naturally formed ice Shivling inside the Amarnath cave, situated at an altitude of 3,880 metres in the Himalayas. The shrine is accessible through two routes—the shorter but steeper Baltal route and the longer traditional route via Pahalgam. Given the shrine’s high-altitude location and the region’s unpredictable weather, authorities have made elaborate arrangements involving the police, Central Armed Police Forces, disaster response teams and medical personnel.

Pilgrims are also being monitored through registration and tracking systems to ensure their safety throughout the pilgrimage. Officials said the yatra has been progressing smoothly so far, with a large number of devotees arriving each day. With the daily influx continuing to rise, authorities remain focused on maintaining security, managing traffic and providing essential services to ensure the successful conduct of one of the country's largest annual religious pilgrimages.

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