The first batch of pilgrims left for the Amarnath cave shrine on Saturday (July 01) morning in picturesque Jammu and Kashmir.

Devotees were seen riding ponies and being carried on makeshift palanquins while most chose to walk towards the cave.

Security personnel deployed on the route were seen facilitating the beginning of the annual pilgrimage, verifying documents of the pilgrims at the entry point.

The region has witnessed multiple attacks since June 09, when militants opened fire on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims, killing at least nine and injuring several others.

The Amarnath cave, located 12,000 feet above sea level in Lidder Valley in Kashmir, is known to be a popular pilgrimage site dedicated Lord Shiva. The cave houses a phallus, symbolic to regenerative powers of Shiva after destruction. It is visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year in the months of July and August.

(Reuters)