Amarnath Yatra begins as pilgrims set out from Baltal, Nunwan base camps

SRINAGAR: (Jul 3) The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Thursday with the first batches of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan towards the 3880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas, which houses a naturally formed ice-lingam, officials said.

The yatra started early morning from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal route.

The batches of pilgrims, including men, women and sadhus, left from the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, in south Kashmir's Anantnag, and Baltal base camp in Sonamarg area of central Kashmir's Ganderbal at the first light of the day, the officials said.