Shrinking Numbers: A Decline in Amarnath Pilgrimage Participants

Amid heightened security measures, a group of 2,837 devotees embarked from Jammu towards the sacred Amarnath cave in the south Kashmir Himalayas, on Wednesday. This marks the smallest group of pilgrims since this year's yatra began on July 3, according to official sources.

The 38-day pilgrimage has already seen over three lakh participants visiting the 3,880-metre-high shrine. As of today, the 21st batch, featuring 2,286 men and eight children, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in 128 vehicles for dual base camps in Kashmir.

Since July 2, when the journey was inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, 1,30,378 pilgrims have departed from Jammu towards the valley. After a peak of 7,908 pilgrims on July 18, the numbers have continued to dwindle each day. The pilgrimage is slated to end on August 9, amidst a noticeable decline in participants compared to last year's 5.10 lakh devotees who visited the ice lingam shrine.

(With inputs from agencies.)