Amarnath Yatra: 1180 leave from Jammu, 4518 pay obeisance

Jammu: On the 24th day of the Amarnath Yatra, 4,518 Yatris paid obeisance at the Holy Cave today, thus bringing the cumulative number to 2,36,515 Yatris who have had Darshan of the holy ice-lingum, since the beginning of the pilgrimage, this year.
Meanwhile, a fresh batch of over 1,100 pilgrims left on Saturday to perform the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, an official said. "Another batch of 1,180 pilgrims left the
Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas at 3.40 a.m. in an escorted convoy of 43 vehicles for the Kashmir Valley," he said.
There were 787 males, 243 females and 150 Sadhus (holy men) in the convoy.
The number of devotees taking the pilgrimage has gone down this week, but the collective figure of over 2.36 lakh pilgrims still stands higher than 2.20 lakh which visited the shrine last year in 48 days.
This year, the 40-day long 'yatra' will end on 7 August on 'Shravan Purnima' coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.
Over 35,000 security personnel drawn from the army, Central Reserve Police Force, Sashastra Seema Bal, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the state police are deployed for the protection of the pilgrims this year ensuring the highest level of safety for devotees especially after the terrorist attack on Yatris while they were travelling in a bus on 10 July at Batengo in Anantnag district.
A total of 48 pilgrims have so far died during the yatra in 2017. Of these 17 died in a road accident on Jammu-Srinagar highway on 16 July. Another 23 died due to natural causes.
Situated at 3,888 metres above the sea-level, the Amarnath cave houses an ice stalagmite structure that waxes and wanes with the size of the visible moon. Devotees believe the ice stalagmite structure symbolizes mythical powers of Lord Shiva.