The two-month-long Amarnath yatra concluded on Monday.
The pilgrimage came to an end with the holy mace of Lord Shiva reaching the Amarnath cave on Monday morning and hundreds of sadhus and other devotees offering special prayers.
Madan Mantoo, director public relations Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB),  said 2, 96,869 pilgrims performed the pilgrimage this year.
Among them 1, 19, 757 trekked via the traditional route of Pahalgam, while 1, 53,712 from the forward base camp of Baltal and 23,330 by helicopters from Srinagar and Baltal.
More pilgrims
The number of pilgrims is slightly higher than the last year when the number was 2, 90,990, he added.
Meanwhile, a Hindu temple was reopened after a gap of 19 years at Thajwari village in south Kashmir on Monday.
The temple was closed in 1989 after the eruption of militancy and subsequent migration of Kashmiri pandits.
Blast in temple
Jammu, pti: An explosive device went off inside a temple complex in Bhaderwah area of Doda district tonight but no one was injured, official sources said.
The explosion took place in the premises of Lakshmi temple at around 8:25 pm but did not cause any damage, they sources.
They said the police reached the spot and was probing whether the device was planted inside the temple or was hurled from outside.