Amid tight security, 180 pilgrims on Wednesday left for Buddha Amarnath shrine in Poonch district from base camp here, officials said.
The Buddha Amarnath Yatra resumed on July 29 after a gap of two years as the pilgrimage remained suspended for two years due to the Covid pandemic.
A batch of 180 pilgrims comprising 152 men, 22 women and six children left in five vehicles from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for the shrine, they said.
The yatra will culminate on August 8 with the departure of ‘Chhari Mubarak’ from Shri Dashnami Akhara Poonch.
The temple of Baba Buddha Amarnath dedicated to Lord Shiva is also known as 'Chattani Baba Amarnath temple' and is located 290km northwest of Jammu. Standing 4,600 feet above sea level, the shrine is located amid picturesque surroundings.
Multi-tier security has been put in place enroute to the shrine to ensure incident free yatra this year, the officials said.
The yatra is being held in the backdrop of busting of several modules of Lashkar-e- Taiba in Jammu, Rajouri and Reasi districts of Jammu region, apart from recovery of huge quantity of arms and explosive material and arrests of members of modules last week.
(With PTI Inputs)
