SRINAGAR, July 3, 2015 (Daily Pioneer): The annual Amarnath pilgrimage began in Kashmir Valley on Thursday morning amid tight security as 6,300 pilgrims began trekking to the holy cave ensconced in mountains of South Kashmir at a height of 12,800 feet above sea level. The yatra began from both the treacherous but shorter Baltal route and the longest traditional Pahalgam route. It takes around seven hours to reach the cave through Baltal while the traditional route through Pahalgam Valley takes two days for a pilgrim to reach the cave for a glimpse of the ice stalagmite, believed to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva.
The pilgrims began their journey on July 1 from Bhagwati Nagar Base Camp in Jammu. Three BJP Ministers of the coalition Government — Lal Singh, Sukhnandan Kumar and Priya Sethi flagged off the cavalcade of 34 vehicles who were accorded warm welcome at every halt along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. By the evening, the pilgrims reached Nunwan and Baltal base camps.