Amarnath Yatra begins as pilgrims set out from Baltal, Nunwan base camps
The yatra started early morning from the twin tracks— the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal route.
The batches of pilgrims, including men, women and sadhus, left from the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, in south Kashmir's Anantnag, and Baltal base camp in Sonamarg area of central Kashmir's Ganderbal at the first light of the day, the officials said.
The chants of 'bum bum bole' filled the air as the batches were flagged off by senior officials from the respective base camps, they added.
On Wednesday (July 2, 2025), the first batch of 5,892 yatris was flagged off from the yatra base camp in Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
The pilgrims reached the Kashmir Valley in the afternoon and received a rousing welcome from the administration and locals.
They will pay obeisance at the cave shrine, which houses the naturally occurring ice-lingam formation.
Stringent security arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the yatra.
Thousands of security personnel from the police, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and other paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure security. Aerial surveillance will also be carried out.
The 38-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 9.
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The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Watch: Amarnath Yatra begins amid much fanfare
The annual Amarnath Yatra began today with the first batches of pilgrims setting off towards the 3880-metre-high cave shrine in the Himalayas. The yatra started early morning from the twin tracks, the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the steeper 14-km Baltal route. The batches of pilgrims left from the Baltal base camp in Sonamarg of central Kashmir's Ganderbal at the first light of the day. The first batch of 5,892 yatris was flagged off from the yatra base camp in Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on July 2. Thousands of security personnel from the police, CRPF, ITBP and other paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure security. The 38-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 9.
United News of India
4 hours ago
- United News of India
Amarnath Yatra begins amid tight security
Srinagar, July 3 (UNI) Amid unprecedented security, the annual Amarnath Yatra commenced on Thursday, with the first batch of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps at Baltal and Nunwan. The Yatris are on their way to the cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. Over 5000 Yatris, chanting 'Bam Bam Bhole' and 'Har Har Mahadev,' started early today morning from the twin tracks- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday morning flagged off the first batch of pilgrims from the Bhagwati Nagar Base Camp in Jammu. The pilgrims had reached the twin base camps of Nunwan and Baltal from Jammu last evening amid a warm welcome by locals and administration Officials said of the first batch, over 2000 pilgrims began the Yatra through Baltal and over 3000 via Pahalgam. The pilgrims set out early Thursday on their challenging journey, traversing forested mountain trails. While some undertook the trek on foot, others traveled on ponies. The pilgrims from Baltal were ceremoniously flagged off by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri. Secretary, Science and Technology Department, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, who is the Nodal Officer for Yatra-2025 for Baltal axis; Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Jatin Kishore; SSP Ganderbal, Khalil Poswal; and other senior officers from the District Administration and Police were also present on the occasion. The Baltal base camp echoed with chants of "Bam Bam Bhole" and "Har Har Mahadev", as thousands of ecstatic pilgrims including men, women, elderly devotees, and sadhus, set off on their sacred journey to the Holy Cave Shrine of Shri Amarnath Ji. The pilgrims expressed joy and appreciation for the robust arrangements made by the Jammu and Kashmir UT Administration, Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB), and the Police. They lauded the seamless coordination and facilities put in place to ensure a smooth and secure Yatra experience. From Nunwan Pahalgam, the Yatra was flagged by Deputy Commissioner Anantnag Syeed Fakhruddin Hamid and Senior Superintendent of Police Anantnag Amritpal Singh. This year's Amarnath pilgrimage comes more than two months after a deadly terror attack at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, in which 25 tourists and a local were killed. The 38-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 9. UNI MJR RKM
India Today
5 hours ago
- India Today
Amarnath Yatra begins, first batch sets off from base camps amid tight security
The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Thursday with the first batches of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan towards the 3880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas, which houses a naturally formed ice-lingam, officials yatra started early in the morning from the twin tracks - the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal batches of pilgrims, including men, women and sadhus, left from the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, in south Kashmir's Anantnag, and Baltal base camp in Sonamarg area of central Kashmir's Ganderbal at the first light of the day, the officials said. The chants of 'bum bum bole' filled the air as the batches were flagged off by senior officials from the respective base camps, they Wednesday, the first batch of 5,892 yatris was flagged off from the yatra base camp in Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar by Lieutenant Governor Manoj pilgrims reached the Kashmir Valley in the afternoon and received a rousing welcome from the administration and will pay obeisance at the cave shrine, which houses the naturally occurring ice-lingam security arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the of security personnel from the police, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and other paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure security. Aerial surveillance will also be carried 38-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 9.- Ends
