Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Thursday. The flaf-off was done amid a multi-tier security cover for the onward journey of pigrims to the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal in Kashmir.
The 57-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine is scheduled to begin on July 3 simultaneously via the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in the Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in the Ganderbal district. The yatra will conclude on August 28.
Sinha performed a special puja at the high-security Bhagwati Nagar base camp before flagging off the convoy of pilgrims, officials said.
He was accompanied by Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, J&K Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, BJP MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, local BJP legislators, senior civil and police officials, and representatives of various religious organisations.
Amid chants of "Bam Bam Bhole", "Har Har Mahadev" and "Jai Barfani Baba Ki", over 5000 pilgrims left in a convoy of escorted vehicles for the twin base camps under elaborate security arrangements.
"Har Har Mahadev! The sacred journey to the holy abode of Baba Barfani begins! Flagged off the first batch of pilgrims for Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2026 from Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar Base Camp. Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra is a profound spiritual awakening," Sinha posted on X after the ceremony.
He said every step taken on the sacred route reflected unwavering faith and devotion to Lord Shiva and wished the pilgrims a safe and spiritually fulfilling journey.
Pilgrims expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made by the administration and security agencies.
Officials said the convoy was escorted under heavy security, while traffic restrictions and area domination measures were enforced along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway to ensure the safe movement of pilgrims.
Traffic restrictions will remain in force on various stretches of the highway from July 2 to August 28, with daily advisories and sector-wise cut-off timings to regulate traffic, a traffic official said.
More than 3.90 lakh devotees have registered for this year's pilgrimage, while on-the-spot registration has also commenced in Jammu.
The Jammu region has been placed under an extensive security grid with multi-layered deployment and technology-based surveillance.