Amarnath yatra begins

JAMMU, JULY 01: Amid tight security arrangements, the annual Amarnath yatra today commenced from Jammu as the first batch of 1,280 pilgrims left for the cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas.  "Amarnath yatra began from Jammu today. A batch of 1,280 pilgrims have left from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu this morning for their onward journey to the 3,888 meters high cave shrine of Amarnath in Kashmir Valley," said Dr Piyush, Yatra officer and Additional Deputy Commissioner Jammu.  The batch comprising 919 men, 191 women, 16 children and 154 sadhus left in a cavalcade of 34 vehicles guarded by heavy contingent of CRPF personnel from the base camp at 5:10 AM, a police officer said.  The cavalcade has already crossed Kud in Udhampur district, he said.  The yatra was flagged off by Jammu and Kashmir ministers Lal Singh, Sukhnandan Choudhary and Priya Sethi.  They said that the yatra has begun and all arrangements have been made for comfortable yatra of pilgrims, who have come from various parts of the country to pay obeisance at the cave shrine of Lord Shiva.  The first batch will reach twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam for their onward journey to the cave shrine by this evening.  Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder Valley, Amarnath shrine stands at 3,888 metres, 46 km from Pahalgam and 14 km from Baltal.