Jammu

A fresh batch of 8,796 pilgrims, including 33 foreign nationals, departed from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu on Friday to join the annual Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva began on July 2, and more than 1.73 lakh devotees have already offered prayers at the naturally formed ice Shivling, according to officials.

The latest batch comprised 6,046 men, 2,042 women, 228 sadhus, 56 sadhvis, 10 children, one transgender pilgrim and 33 foreign devotees. They travelled in a convoy of 354 vehicles under a multi-layered security arrangement.

Officials said the convoy was divided into two groups based on the route. The first convoy, carrying 3,450 pilgrims via the Baltal route, left the base camp at 3.35 am, while the second convoy, with 5,346 pilgrims heading through the traditional Pahalgam route, departed at 4 am.

The pilgrims began their journey amid chants of "Bam Bam Bhole", "Har Har Mahadev" and "Jai Barfani Baba Ki".

With this latest batch, the total number of pilgrims who have departed from the Jammu base camp since July 2 has reached 61,612.

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The 57-day pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 28.