Over 3,000 Amarnath pilgrims head for holy cave

Jammu, July 14 : A fresh batch of 3,048 pilgrims left Jammu for the Kashmir Valley on Saturday to perform the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.

They left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in an escorted convoy of 112 vehicles and headed for the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps, police said.

A Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) official said over 1,65,000 pilgrims have so far performed the pilgrimage that started on June 28.

The Muslim community living along the pilgrimage route in their centuries-old tradition continue to support the pilgrim by acting as helpers, 'ponywallahs' or even setting up roadside tea-stalls.

The Yatra will end on August 26 coinciding with Shravan Purnima festival.