Jammu

The 20th batch of 4,388 pilgrims, including 900 women, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Sunday to offer prayers at the 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

The 38-day annual yatra commenced on July 3 from the twin routes of Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal. So far, more than 2.90 lakh pilgrims have paid their obeisance at the shrine, housing the naturally formed ice-shivlingam, they said.

According to officials, the yatra is going on smoothly on both routes, and the number of pilgrims is likely to cross the 3 lakh-mark later in the day.

The fresh batch of pilgrims, which included 130 sadhus and sadhvis, left the base camp in separate convoys for Pahalgam and Baltal under tight security arrangements, they said.

While 2,815 pilgrims left for Pahalgam in a convoy of 115 vehicles, 1,573 pilgrims onboard 95 vehicles preferred the Baltal route, officials said.

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The pilgrimage is scheduled to end on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.