• Source:PTI
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Amarnath Yatra 2024: More than 13,000 pilgrims visited the holy cave shrine of Amarnath on Saturday, the first day of the yearly pilgrimage in the south Kashmir Himalayas. The 52-day pilgrimage which began on June 29, will conclude on August 19. The Amarnath Yatra 2024 is being conducted amid tight security measures. Last year, more than  4.5 lakh pilgrims paid their respects at the cave shrine.

The first batch of pilgrims departed from the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan to begin their journey to the cave shrine, situated at an altitude of 3,880 meters. "As many as 13,736 pilgrims visited the cave shrine to have darshan of the naturally formed ice lingam on the first day," an official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

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Among the pilgrims were 3,300 females, 52 children, 102 sadhus, and 682 security personnel who visited the cave shrine from the two routes. The first batch of 4,603 pilgrims was flagged off by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha from the Yatri Niwas base camp in Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu on Friday. 

During the commencement of the Amarnath Yatra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X, formerly Twitter to greet pilgrims saying the 'darshan' of Lord Shiva is known to infuse immense energy in his followers. "My heartfelt best wishes to all pilgrims on the commencement of the holy Amarnath Yatra. This Yatra associated with the darshan of Baba Barfani infuses immense energy in the devotees of Lord Shiva. May all devotees prosper with his blessings. Jai Baba Barfani,” the prime minister said. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also asserted that the Modi government is committed to ensuring a smooth, safe and pleasant pilgrimage to the cave shrine. 

"Shri Amarnath Yatra is an eternal symbol of the traditionalism and continuity of Indian culture. This divine Yatra is starting today. I wish all the devotees good luck for the darshan," Shah wrote on X. 

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"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, our government is committed to the safe, smooth and pleasant journey of the devotees and the government has made every possible arrangement to ensure that the devotees do not face any inconvenience. Har Har Mahadev," he further added. 

The central public sector undertaking ONGC has established two 100-bed hospitals at the twin Amarnath base camps in Kashmir, saying that these facilities will remain operational after the annual yatra.