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<p data-start="184" data-end="461"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The annual Shri Amarnath Yatra continues to witness a massive turnout, with nearly 70,000 devotees having undertaken the pilgrimage in the first four days since it began on July 3. On Sunday alone, 21,512 pilgrims had &lsquo;Darshan&rsquo; at the holy cave shrine.</span></p>
<p data-start="463" data-end="764"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">On Monday, another batch of 8,605 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu towards the Kashmir Valley, officials said. Of these, 3,486 pilgrims are en route to the Baltal base camp in north Kashmir, while 5,119 are headed towards the Nunwan base camp in south Kashmir&rsquo;s Pahalgam.</span></p>
<p data-start="766" data-end="967"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) reported that, in addition to those registered at the Jammu base, many devotees are registering directly at the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps to join the Yatra.</span></p>
<p data-start="969" data-end="1456"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Despite two pilgrims succumbing to natural causes since the start of the Yatra, the overall arrangements and security measures have been robust. Authorities have implemented a multi-layered security setup following the April 22 terror attack in Baisaran, Pahalgam, where 26 civilians were killed in a Pakistan-backed assault. To bolster security, an additional 180 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have been deployed to support the Army, BSF, CRPF, SSB, and local police.</span></p>
<p data-start="1458" data-end="1564"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Security forces are actively manning transit camps and securing the entire route from Jammu to the shrine.</span></p>
<p data-start="1566" data-end="1844"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Locals in the region have shown overwhelming support, welcoming the pilgrims with garlands and placards at Qazigund as they entered the Kashmir Valley. On Sunday, residents offered cold drinks and water to Yatris returning from Baltal, a gesture warmly received by the devotees.</span></p>
<p data-start="1846" data-end="2136"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The 38-day-long pilgrimage will conclude on August 9, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan. The holy cave, located at an altitude of 3,888 meters in the Himalayas, is accessible via two routes&mdash;one from Pahalgam (46 km on foot) and another from Baltal (14 km, doable in a day).</span></p>
<p data-start="2138" data-end="2213"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">For security reasons, helicopter services have not been provided this year.</span></p>
<p data-start="2215" data-end="2608" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Inside the cave shrine, a naturally formed ice stalagmite is believed to symbolize the presence and powers of Lord Shiva. According to legend, it was in this cave that Lord Shiva revealed the secrets of immortality to Goddess Parvati. As per tradition, a pair of mountain pigeons&mdash;believed to have overheard the divine discourse&mdash;are often spotted flying out of the cave during the Yatra season.</span><br><br><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">[Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed]</span></p>
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Massive turnout for Amarnath Yatra; locals welcome pilgrims, security heightened after April attack

70,000 Complete Amarnath Yatra in 4 Days

Massive turnout for Amarnath Yatra; locals welcome pilgrims, security heightened after April attack

July 7, 2025 | 15:20 IST