6000 pilgrims head for Amarnath cave

Nearly 6,000 pilgrims left Jammu in escorted convoys on Monday to perform the Amarnath Yatra in South Kashmir.

The annual yatra resumed on Sunday after it was halted for three consecutive days because of landslides, slippery tracks and shooting stones due to incessant rain. On Sunday, 10,935 pilgrims paid obeisance at the holy cave, officials said.

The 60-day annual pilgrimage began simultaneously on Pahalgam and Baltal routes on June 28 and will conclude on Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals on August 25.

Over 2 lakh pilgrims have registered for the pilgrimage and in the coming days, more people are expected to join. With militant activities on the rise, authorities have made elaborate security arrangements.

On July 10 last year, at least nine pilgrims were killed and 19 others were injured in an attack on a bus in Anantnag district.

Every year, lakhs of devotees go on a pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave to see a stalagmite formed inside, said to be a symbol of Lord Shiva. The yatra has traditionally symbolised the inter-faith harmony for the last one and half century as local Muslims have been receiving Hindu pilgrims and extending every possible help to make the pilgrimage a success.