20,800 people did Amarnath Yatra on 16th day

Srinagar, (IANS) Over 20,800 pilgrims paid obeisance inside the Amarnath holy cave while another batch of 6,216 pilgrims left for the Valley from Jammu, officials said on Monday. Officials said that on Sunday, more than 20,800 pilgrims paid obeisance inside the holy cave. Over 2.29 lakh pilgrims have traveled till Sunday since this year’s Amarnath Yatra began on July 1. “Another batch of 6,216 passengers left this morning from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu in a security vehicle for the Valley. “Of these, 4204 are men, 1871 women, 16 children, 78 sadhus and 47 sadhvis,” officials said. Twenty-five pilgrims have died since the start of the yatra on July 1 this year, of which 24 died of natural causes, while a woman pilgrim died of stone pelting on Sunday. Two local policemen, who were part of the mountain rescue team, were also injured while trying to rescue the woman pilgrim. Yatris reach the Himalayan cave shrine either by the traditional south Kashmir Pahalgam route, which involves a 43-km climb from Pahalgam Base Camp, or a 13-km climb from North Kashmir’s Baltal Base Camp. Those using the traditional Pahalgam route take 3-4 days to reach the cave temple, while those using the Baltal route reach the base camp the same day after having a ‘darshan’ inside the cave temple located 3888 meters above sea level. come back Helicopter services are also available for passengers on both the routes. The cave temple has an ice structure which devotees believe symbolizes the mythical powers of Lord Shiva. The structure of the ice stalagmite waxes and wanes with the phases of the Moon. This year’s 62-day Amarnath Yatra began on July 1 and will end on August 31 with the Shravan Purnima festival. To protect pilgrims from altitude sickness, the authorities have banned all junk food at free community kitchens, called ‘langars’, set up along both the routes of the yatra. Banned items include all bottled beverages, confectionery items, fried foods and tobacco-based products.