The Annual Amarnath Yatra commenced on Thursday, July 3, 2025, with the first groups of pilgrims setting out from the Baltal and Nunwan base camps towards the revered cave shrine high in the south Kashmir Himalayas, officials confirmed.
Departing at dawn, pilgrims including men, women, and sadhus embarked on the twin routes: the 14-kilometer path from Baltal in Ganderbal district and the traditional 48-kilometer Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district. Their destination is the 3,880-meter-high cave, home to a naturally formed ice-lingam.
Chants of ‘bum bum bole’ filled the air as senior officials flagged off the groups from their respective base camps. This follows the departure of the first batch of 5,892 pilgrims from the Jammu base camp in Bhagwati Nagar on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. That group was flagged off by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and received a warm welcome upon reaching the Kashmir Valley later that day.
Stringent security measures are in force for the 38-day pilgrimage, which concludes on August 9. Thousands of personnel from the police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and other paramilitary forces have been deployed along the routes. Aerial surveillance is also being conducted to ensure the safety and smooth progress of the Yatra.