Amarnath Yatra 2025: 20k visit holy cave; 3rd pilgrim batch leaves Jammu

SRINAGAR/JAMMU: While inaugurating Shri Amarnath Shrine Board ’s Yatri Niwas Complex at Baltal, around 92km northeast of Srinagar, J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Friday said more than 20,000 devotees had already performed darshan at the holy cave. Meanwhile, the third batch of 6,411 pilgrims left Jammu’s Bhagwati Nagar base camp for the Himalayan shrine.

This year’s annual pilgrimage began on July 3 and will conclude on Aug 9. The yatra is proceeding seamlessly along both routes — Pahalgam (Anantnag) and Baltal (Ganderbal) — amid tight security. Escorted by CRPF, devotees from the third batch travelled in 291 vehicles. Of them, 3,622 pilgrims took the Pahalgam route while 2,789 opted for Baltal.

Sinha lauded the people of J&K for extending a warm welcome to the devotees. “There is an atmosphere of celebration across J&K. Pilgrims are feeling blessed to be part of this journey of faith and tradition,” he said.

Sinha said the Baltal Yatri Niwas Complex, developed by ONGC under its CSR initiative, can accommodate 800 pilgrims and includes registration facilities. Devotees arriving before their scheduled date would be accommodated, but those with prior registration would be prioritized. ONGC is constructing similar facilities at Sidhra, Nunwan and Bijbehara at a cost of Rs 240 crore, he added.

Sinha noted that widened tracks, safety railings, and grid-powered lighting have made the Yatra safer, allowing 24x7 monitoring. Over 3.5 lakh pilgrims have registered online so far.

Traffic advisories have been issued for smooth movement on the Jammu-Srinagar NH, with fixed cut-off timings for Yatra convoys.