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The annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas resumed on Monday after a temporary suspension due to inclement weather.
More than 18,500 pilgrims, who were stuck up at different points enroute to cave shrine from Pahalgam and Baltal routes due to heavy rains and snowfall on Sunday, started their journey towards the cave on Monday morning, the Director Public Relations of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board Madan Mantoo said.
SASB has made adequate arrangements for shelter and medical care for the pilgrims at all camping sites enroute from Baltal and Pahalgam, he said.
Till July 7, nearly 82,000 devotees had paid their obeisance at the shrine, Mantoo said.
However, unofficial reports said more than 1,32,000 devotees had performed darshan so far as 50,000 of them had visited cave shrine before the official commencement of journey.
A fresh batch of 2623 pilgrims, including 502 women and 78 children, also left from the base camp of Mam Stadium in Jammu towards the cave shrine on Monday morning in a fleet of 85 vehicles, officials said, adding the stranded pilgrims at Udhampur also joined the cavalcade for the onward journey at Nunwan in Pahalgam and Baltal.
Meanwhile, one more pilgrim, identified as 60-year-old Karan Nath of Sirsa in Haryana, died at holy cave shrine on Sunday, increasing the total death toll to seven.