Amarnath yatra suspended for third consecutive day

Baltal Sonamarg (J-K), June 18 (ANI): The annual Amarnath yatra was suspended from Jammu for the third consecutive day on Thursday due to rain and fresh snowfall.

No fresh batch was allowed to proceed from the base camp at Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu or from Baltal to the cave shrine.

Since the yatra started on Monday, only one batch of 900 devotees has left from the base camp at Jammu for onward journey to Baltal.

The other route from Pahalgam has not yet been fully cleared of snow and government will take a decision on June 22 about throwing it open for pilgrims.

The Jammu and Kashmir government and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has set up three base camps at Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu, Nunwan in Pahalgam and Baltal for providing food and lodging facilities to pilgrims.

Located in Jammu and Kashmir, the Amarnath caves shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva. he main shrine is claimed to be over 5,000 years old.

Last year, over 450,000 pilgrims visited the cave. The two month long pilgrimage will conclude on August 5. (ANI)