Amarnath Yatra surpasses last year’s record, 4.51 lakh pilgrims visit cave shrine in 29 days

Jammu, July 28 (IANS) Over 4.51 lakh pilgrims have performed the ongoing Amarnath Yatra in the last 29 days, surpassing last year’s record.

Officials of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), which manages the annual pilgrimage, said that during the last 29 days since it started on June 29, over 4.51 lakh had ‘Darshan’ inside the holy cave, breaking the record of last year’s Yatra by 4.45 lakh pilgrims, who visited the cave shrine during the entire period of the Yatra.On Saturday, around 8,000 pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine while another batch of 1,677 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu for the Valley on Sunday.”This is the smallest number of pilgrims going to the Valley since the Yatra started on June 29. Of them, 408 Yatris left at 3.35 a.m. in an escorted convoy of 24 vehicles for the north Kashmir Baltal base camp. The second escorted convoy of 1,269 Yatris left in 43 vehicles for the south Kashmir Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp,” officials said.Due to extraordinary arrangements of security made by the CAPFs and J&K Police, the Yatra has been proceeding peacefully and smoothly this year.This year’s Yatra will conclude after 52 days on August 29 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals.–IANSsq/sha