First batch of 4603 Amarnath pilgrims arrive in Kashmir

The first batch of pilgrims for the annual Amarnath Yatra reached the Kashmir valley on Friday amid stringent security arrangements, officials said.

After their arrival in Srinagar, senior officials in police and civil administration, and local people welcomed the 4,603 pilgrims



at the Navyug tunnel in Qazigund area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, they added.

The 52-day pilgrimage will begin from the twin tracks — the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal — on Saturday and conclude on August 19.