Srinagar, July 1: A total of 1,617 pilgrims - 1,174 men, 379 women, 15 children, 49 saints - began their journey to Amarnath cave shrine from Baltal axis on Monday morning. Along with this, 2,800 pilgrims - 2,321 men, 463 women, 16 children - began their pilgrimage journey from Pahalgam axis in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. On Sunday, over 2,200 pilgrims of the annual left the Bhagwati Nagar-base camp in Jammu for the Kashmir Valley.

The 46-day-long yatra began on Monday, the day of Masik Shivratri, and would conclude on August 15, the day of Shravan Purnima. Both the state and Central government made special security arrangements along the twin routes of Baltal and Pahalgam for smooth conduct of the pilgrimage. The yatra to the cave shrine at an altitude of 3,880 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas will commence from both the routes. The government has deployed over 40,000 security personnel as part of the security arrangement for the Amarnath Yatra. Amarnath Yatra 2019: Schedule, Yatra Route, Helicopter Bookings and More; All You Need to Know

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Earlier on Sunday, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik hailed Muslims for their support in conducting Amarnath Yatra. It is to be known that Union Home Minister, Amit Shah last week visited Jammu and Kashmir and reviewed the security arrangements for the pilgrimage. Last year, over 2 lakh 84 thousand Yatris paid obeisance at the holy Amarnath Cave Shrine. In 2017, the total number of pilgrims, who visited the shrine, was 2,60,003 in 40 days while in 2016, as many as 2,20,490 pilgrims visited the cave shrine. The number of pilgrims was the highest in 2014, with 3,72,909 pilgrims.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 01, 2019 09:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).