Amarnath yatra: Over 46,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance till now

The yatra will be eight days shorter this year against last year's 48 days.

Srinagar/Jammu, Jul 2: Over 17,000 pilgrims on Sunday paid obeisance at the cave shrine of Amarnath, with over 46,000 visiting it in the first four days of the pilgrimage.

Meanwhile, six pilgrims were injured today when their vehicle collided with a tipper in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district. On the fourth day of the yatra, 17,613 pilgrims paid obeisance at the holy cave, an official spokesman said.

He said till date 46,795 people have paid obeisance at the holy cave. The annual yatra in Kashmir had begun amid terror threats, according to an Intelligence warning, prompting the authorities to mobilise the "highest level" of security measures, including satellite tracking system.

The government has mobilised a heavy security blanket of over 35,000 to 40,000 troops including the police, Army, BSF and CRPF as part of the multi-tier security for the pilgrimage. In addition to the existing strength of the CRPF in the state, the Centre has provided over 250 companies (25,000 personnel) of paramilitary forces to the state government.

The BSF has deployed over 2,000 troops for the yatra while the Army has provided five battalions (about 5,000 personnel) and additional 54 companies (5,400 personnel) of the police have also been mobilised. The yatra will be eight days shorter this year against last year's 48 days and conclude on Shravan Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) on August 7.

Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder Valley, Amarnath shrine stands at 3,888 metres, 46 km from Pahalgam and 14 km from Baltal.

PTI