Sadhus chant religious slogans as they resume their Amarnath yatra after it was suspended due to bad weather, in Jammu on Sunday.
The fifth batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, comprising 5,791 yatris, left Jammu in escorted convoys on Monday morning. The first group is headed for the Pahalgam base camp while the other proceeded to Baltal.
The pilgrims progress was temporarily halted due to bad weather. It remained suspended for three days before resuming on Sunday after the weather improved. The Indian Metreological Department has predicted that Jammu and Kashmir is likely to receive heavy rainfall over scattered places.
Meanwhile, earlier on Sunday, the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas resumed on Pahalgam and Baltal routes after being suspended on Saturday due to inclement weather, officials said.
Also the fourth batch of 6,877 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for the twin camps in Kashmir after the yatra from the winter capital of the state was allowed to resume following restoration of traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar Highway. Traffic on the highway was suspended on Saturday as a precautionary measure due to threat of floods in the Valley.
The yatra was suspended on both routes on Saturday due to landslides and slippery road conditions and only 587 pilgrims paid obeisance at the holy cave using helicopter services.
Despite incessant rains, the pilgrimage to the 3,880 metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas commenced on June 28 after several hours of delay, but faced frequent disruptions owing to continuous rainfall. However, the pilgrimage faced frequent disruptions owing to continuous rainfall.
The 60-day yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 26 coinciding with the 'Raksha Bandhan' festival.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra, who is also the chairman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, directed its CEO Umang Narula to closely monitor the track conditions and their repair work before allowing the movement of pilgrims.
