More than 2.75 lakh devotees have paid obeisance at the holy Amarnath cave shrine during the first 11 days of the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2026, officials said on Tuesday.
The annual pilgrimage, which began on July 3, has witnessed a steady inflow of pilgrims. Officials said that nearly three lakh devotees have undertaken the yatra so far.
On Monday alone, 24,259 pilgrims had darshan at the cave shrine. Meanwhile, another batch of 5,335 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu for Kashmir in two escorted convoys.
Of the fresh batch, 3,599 pilgrims are headed to the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, while 1,736 are travelling to the Baltal base camp.
On Monday, 18 pilgrims sustained minor injuries in a road accident near Chanderkote in Ramban district after a bus in the Pahalgam-bound convoy reportedly suffered a brake failure and collided with another bus. A parked vehicle was also damaged in the incident.
District administration and police personnel immediately launched rescue and relief operations. All the injured pilgrims received first aid at the District Hospital Ramban and were discharged after treatment, as none of them sustained serious injuries requiring prolonged hospitalisation.
The driver of the bus, however, suffered serious injuries and remains under medical treatment.
The administration arranged alternate vehicles for the affected pilgrims, enabling them to continue their journey to the holy cave shrine. Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which was briefly affected due to the accident, was restored after the damaged vehicles were removed.
The 57-day Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2026 will conclude on August 28, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
Located at an altitude of 3,880 metres above sea level in the Himalayas, the Amarnath cave shrine is revered for its naturally formed ice stalagmite, believed by devotees to symbolise Lord Shiva. (IANS)
