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Pilgrimage Continues Despite Adverse Weather

In light of heavy rainfall and the tragic incident in Pahalgam earlier this April, a fresh group of 6,979 pilgrims set off from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Saturday morning. They are continuing their spiritual journey to the Amarnath cave temple, nestled in the Himalayas of South Kashmir. On the fourth day of the Amarnath Yatra, over 21,000 devotees visited the sacred cave to witness the naturally formed ice Shiva Lingam, as reported by officials.

According to officials, a total of 21,512 pilgrims participated in the rituals at the holy cave temple, which stands at an elevation of 3,880 meters in South Kashmir. The demographic breakdown of the pilgrims included 15,758 men, 4,723 women, 300 children, 129 saints, 17 female saints, three transgender individuals, and 582 security personnel.

During the first four days of this 38-day pilgrimage, the total number of visitors to the cave temple has reached 69,484. Unfortunately, the pilgrimage has also seen its share of tragedies, with the death toll rising to three following the heart attack of a pilgrim from Uttar Pradesh. Rakesh Kumar Soni, a 49-year-old resident of Pant Nagar, fell ill in Baltal and was later referred to a hospital in Srinagar, where he was pronounced dead.