Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Jul 25 : Amid tight security and spiritual fervour, 8,181 pilgrims performed darshan at the revered Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas on Friday, taking the cumulative tally to 3,60,320 since the commencement of the yatra on July 3.
An official informed the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that among the devotees who visited the holy cave on the 23rd day of the annual pilgrimage were 6,326 men, 1,264 women, 84 children, 56 sadhus, 3 sadhvis, and 448 security personnel.
The sacred ice Shivlingam inside the cave shrine, located at an altitude of 3,880 metres, continues to attract devotees from across India and abroad. However, in recent days, there has been a noticeable dip in the number of daily pilgrims undertaking the trek.
From the Jammu base camp, the 23rd batch of 2,896 pilgrims—comprising 2,505 men and 314 women—left early Friday morning under multi-layered security arrangements. The convoy included 117 vehicles escorted by CRPF and police personnel.
According to officials, the first group of 790 pilgrims in 42 vehicles proceeded via the Baltal route in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. The second group, consisting of 2,106 yatris in 75 vehicles, opted for the traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district.
Despite smooth arrangements and favourable weather, both the footfall at the cave shrine and the number of pilgrims departing from Jammu have gradually declined.
Officials attribute the drop to several factors, including exhaustion after the peak rush in earlier weeks and the early completion of darshan by many registered pilgrims. Nonetheless, authorities are maintaining full arrangements to ensure the safety and comfort of the remaining yatris.
The pilgrimage, which began on July 3, will conclude on August 9—(KNO)
