Over 1,600 pilgrims leave Jammu base camp for Amarnath

�Jammu:� Amid heavy rains, a fresh batch of 1,677 pilgrims left a Jammu base camp for the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas in the early hours of Sunday amid tight security arrangements, officials said.The 31th batch of pilgrims, which also included over 1,300 men, 200 women. It also included two children and 104 sadhus and sadhvis who left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp at 3.35 am in a convoy of 67 vehicles escorted by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), they said.

While 1,269 pilgrims will reach Pahalgam to undertake the annual pilgrimage through the traditional 48-km route in Anantnag district, 408 have opted for the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district.

Since June 28, when Lt Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch from Jammu, a total of 1,36,984 pilgrims have embarked from the Jammu base camp.

More than 4.51 lakh pilgrims have offered prayers at the naturally-formed ice lingam at the cave shrine so far this year. The yatra has crossed last year's figures of 4.5 lakh pilgrims in less than a month this year.

The yatra commenced on June 29 and is scheduled to conclude on August 19.