More than 26,000 devotees have had darshan at the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir during the first two days of the annual pilgrimage, officials said.
The Amarnath cave temple, located near Pahalgam in Anantnag district, sits at an altitude of about 12,730 feet above sea level. Pilgrims visit the shrine to worship the naturally formed ice lingam.
The yatra began on July 3 and is scheduled to continue until August 28. A fresh batch of over 6,700 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu early Saturday under tight security; the group included 1,310 women and 22 children.
With pilgrim inflow higher than usual, the Jammu and Kashmir administration said all registration slots are full up to July 9. Unregistered devotees have been advised to postpone their travel by a few days.
