Small batch of devotees leave for Amarnath

Jammu: A small batch of 269 pilgrims today left for the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas from here.

A convoy of nine vehicles carrying the 38th batch of pilgrims, including 148 men, 70 women and one child left from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu at 4:20 AM, police said. The convoy has already crossed Udhampur on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and would reach their destinations at Baltal and Pahalgam base camps by this evening, they said. With today`s batch, a total of 53,711 pilgrims have left Jammu base camp for Amarnath so far. Meanwhile, another batch of 1,495 pilgrims left for Budha Amarnath shrine in Poonch district in a cavalcade of 38 vehicles from Bhagwati Nagar Base camp in Jammu city.