7th batch of devotees leave for Amarnath from Jammu

, July 3: The 7th batch of 2,125 pilgrims on Thursday left for

cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas from Jammu base camp amid tight security.

A convoy of 65 vehicles carrying 2,125 devotees left from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu at around 4.00 AM towards Amarnath to pay obeisance at the holy cave shrine, police said here on Thursday.

The 7th batch of pilgrims which included 1,511 men, 491 women, 23 children apart from 100 sadhus and sadhvis are on way to twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal in Kashmir Valley.

The convoy has already crossed Chenani in Udhampur district on Jammu-Srinagar National highway towards base camp of Baltal in Kashmir valley. With today's batch, as many as 9,869 pilgrims have left from Jammu for their onward journey to the cave shrine of Amarnath, since the annual yatra began on June 28 from shorter Baltal route.

The yatra to the Holy Cave Shrine from the traditional Pahalgam route began yesterday and till date over 61,000 yatris have had the darshan of Ice Lingam.

PTI