J-K L-G flags off first batch of Amarnath pilgrims

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of pilgrims for the annual Amarnath Yatra from the Bhagwati Nagar camp here on Friday.

Amid multi-layer security, the first batch of more than 3,400 pilgrims left for the twin base camps in Kashmir to undertake the pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva in the south Kashmir Himalayas.

The 62-day-long pilgrimage will commence from Kashmir on Saturday on the twin tracks of the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steep Baltal route in Ganderbal district.