The Amarnath yatra to the cave shrine in south Kashmir was on Friday suspended from the Baltal route due to multiple landslides en route caused by heavy rainfall in the valley over the past two days.
A police official said the Kali Mata Track has been damaged due to landslides at multiple places, which has forced suspension of the yatra from Baltal route.
"Restoration work is going on but a slight drizzle is hampering restoration work," the official said.
An official of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) said the yatra was going on through the Pahalgam route.
The annual yatra to the 3,880-metre high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas began on Thursday and will conclude on 26 August to coincide with the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
Braving heavy rains which briefly halted traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the third batch of 2,876 pilgrims on Friday left from Jammu for the base camps in Kashmir Valley to pay obeisance at the shrine of Amarnath, officials said.
The pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in a fleet of 90 vehicles under tight security at around 0630 hours, braving rains which lashed wide parts of Jammu and Kashmir for the third day on Friday, the officials said.
Heavy rains in Banihal-Udhampur sector had triggered landslides and shooting of stones at four places at Panthal, Nedgard, Digdol and Samroli this morning, blocking the 260-km highway—the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir with rest of the country, the officials said.
However, they said the agencies concerned pressed men and machines into service and after hectic efforts cleared the blockade in the shortest possible time at around 0915 hours, allowing stranded vehicles to move towards their destinations.
The blocking of the highway resulted in traffic jam at several places and efforts are on to ensure smooth flow of vehicles, the officials said.
The 60-day annual pilgrimage started from the twin routes of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on Thursday with the first batch of over 1000 people offering prayers at the cave shrine housing the naturally formed ice-lingam.
The officials said the pilgrims were allowed only after getting the road clearance and are expected to reach the base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district later in the day.
However, no 'sadhu' and children are among the pilgrims who left in the third batch on Friday, they said adding, while 2,032 pilgrims, including 315 women opted for the traditional 36-km Pahalgam route, 844 pilgrims, including 229 women chose to perform the yatra from the 12-km shortest Baltal route.
With the departure of the third batch, a total of 9,305 pilgrims had left the base camp in Jammu for the pilgrimage since June 27.
Over two lakh pilgrims have so far registered for the yatra that is scheduled to conclude on August 26 coinciding with the festival of 'Raksha Bandhan'.Braving heavy rains which briefly halted traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the third batch of 2,876 pilgrims on Friday left from Jammu for the base camps in Kashmir Valley to pay obeisance at the shrine of Amarnath, officials said.
The pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in a fleet of 90 vehicles under tight security at around 0630 hours, braving rains which lashed wide parts of Jammu and Kashmir for the third day on Friday, the officials said.
Heavy rains in Banihal-Udhampur sector had triggered landslides and shooting of stones at four places at Panthal, Nedgard, Digdol and Samroli this morning, blocking the 260-km highway—the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir with rest of the country, the officials said.
However, they said the agencies concerned pressed men and machines into service and after hectic efforts cleared the blockade in the shortest possible time at around 0915 hours, allowing stranded vehicles to move towards their destinations.
The blocking of the highway resulted in traffic jam at several places and efforts are on to ensure smooth flow of vehicles, the officials said.
The 60-day annual pilgrimage started from the twin routes of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on Thursday with the first batch of over 1000 people offering prayers at the cave shrine housing the naturally formed ice-lingam.
The officials said the pilgrims were allowed only after getting the road clearance and are expected to reach the base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district later in the day.
However, no 'sadhu' and children are among the pilgrims who left in the third batch on Friday, they said adding, while 2,032 pilgrims, including 315 women opted for the traditional 36-km Pahalgam route, 844 pilgrims, including 229 women chose to perform the yatra from the 12-km shortest Baltal route.
With the departure of the third batch, a total of 9,305 pilgrims had left the base camp in Jammu for the pilgrimage since June 27.
Over two lakh pilgrims have so far registered for the yatra that is scheduled to conclude on August 26 coinciding with the festival of 'Raksha Bandhan'.