The annual Amarnath Yatra resumed from Jammu on Saturday after a six-day suspension due to adverse weather conditions, with over 6,000 pilgrims leaving the Bhagwati Nagar base camp for Kashmir, officials said.
The pilgrimage was halted on 19 July as a precautionary measure following heavy rainfall and poor weather conditions across Jammu and Kashmir, particularly along the two routes leading to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine, the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
Officials said the 18th batch, comprising 6,269 pilgrims, including 1,470 women, 25 children and 54 sadhus, departed for the Baltal base camp in a convoy of 223 vehicles at around 2.40 am under tight security arrangements.
No convoy was sent for the Pahalgam route, they added.
The yatra resumed after weather conditions improved and the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was reopened following a three-day closure caused by landslides and shooting stones at several locations along the Udhampur-Ramban stretch.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had flagged off the first batch of pilgrims from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp on 2 July, a day before the pilgrimage began in the Valley.
The annual pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on 28 August, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.
So far, nearly four lakh pilgrims have offered prayers at the cave shrine, including around 1.20 lakh devotees who began their journey from the Jammu base camp.
Pilgrims travelling from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp are transported to Kashmir in escorted convoys with extensive security arrangements in place.
(With inputs from PTI)