The annual Amarnath pilgrimage resumed on Wednesday after a three-day delay due to multiple landslides and heavy snowfall, which had blocked the route.
Authorities allowed 2,000 pilgrims, in the 15-45 age group, to proceed to the 3,888-meter high cave shrine of Lord Shiva in Lidder Valley of South Kashmir via the Pahalgam-Amarnath route.
"Amarnath yatra started on Wednesday morning, via 46-km-long Pahalgam-Amarnath route after clearing landslides and nearly 2,000 pilgrims from Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp were allowed to resume their journey," Himant Lohia, DIG South Kashmir told PTI. No elderly pilgrims have been allowed to leave Nunwan camp, he added.
The Baltal-Amarnath route is still closed and efforts are on to throw it open for the pilgrims, Madan Mantoo, a spokesman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board said.
However, helicopters of two private airliners are ferrying pilgrims to Amarnath cave and back via the Baltal route, he said, adding 'we have allowed no fresh batch from Jammu to Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Kashmir valley on Wednesday'.
Around 600 pilgrims, all stranded due to landslides, had been rescued and brought to Baltal base camp on Tuesday. The 46-kms-long track from Pahalgam to Amarnath was closed by landslides at three different places on the Sheshnag-Panjtarni track and snowfall was registered at Amarnath cave, Barari Marg, Mahagunus and Posh Margh area on Saturday.
So far, nearly 2,000 pilgrims have left Jammu for Amarnath since the commencement of the yatra on June 10.
