The first batch of 1,091 pilgrims left from Jammu early on Wednesday for Kashmir to start the Amarnath Yatra, which begins from Thursday.
"A total of 1,091 yatris (pilgrims) left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in an escorted convoy of 52 vehicles. This included 780 males, 190 females, one child and 120 sadhus," police said.
With an additional 213 companies of paramilitary forces augmenting the strength of the existing security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, nearly 1 lakh security personnel have been deployed to guard this year's Amarnath Yatra. Even though Hizbul Mujahideen has rubbished reports of it planning to target the Amarnath Yatra and called the pilgrims “guests”, security forces are not leaving anything to chance.
The 60-day Amarnath Yatra will end on August 26, coinciding with the Shravan Purnima festival.
This year, more than 2 lakh pilgrims have registered to go on the annual Amarnath Yatra.
"As many as 2,11,994 pilgrims have secured advance registration through the designated bank branches, group registration facility and through booking of helicopter tickets for the yatra," an official spokesperson said on Tuesday after a meeting to review the arrangements for the pilgrimage.
The meeting was chaired by Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra.
The ongoing registration trend showed that about 1,200 people were registered every day and the maximum pilgrims are registering for the Amarnath Yatra from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana, he said.
It was also noted that the advance registration via the traditional Pahalgam route, which conforms to the traditional pattern of the Amarnath Yatra, was being preferred over the Baltal route, the spokesperson added.
