First Visuals Of Aarti At Amarnath Cave As Annual Yatra Begins — Watch

Pilgrims began their trek early morning from both traditional routes, the 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal.

The 3,880-metre-high cave in south Kashmir houses the naturally formed ice-lingam.

Source : PTI

The sacred Amarnath Yatra officially commenced on Thursday, with the first visuals of the aarti at the revered cave shrine emerging as devotees began their spiritual journey through the Himalayas. The 3,880-metre-high cave in south Kashmir houses the naturally formed ice-lingam, a revered symbol of Lord Shiva.

#ShriAmarnathJiYatra2025 | First Aarti of Baba Barfani from the Holy Amarnath Cave.

(Video Source: Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board) pic.twitter.com/UxU77rEOzK

— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2025

Pilgrims began their trek early morning from both traditional routes, the 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal. These twin base camps buzzed with chants of “Bum Bum Bhole” as sadhus, men, and women were flagged off by senior officials.

Over 5,800 Pilgrims Flagged Off from Jammu

On Wednesday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of 5,892 pilgrims from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu. They arrived in the Kashmir Valley by afternoon and were greeted with warmth by locals and administration alike.

The pilgrims will now proceed to pay obeisance at the shrine, which remains open for 38 days until August 9. To ensure the safety of devotees, multi-layered security has been deployed along the routes. Personnel from the Jammu & Kashmir Police, CRPF, ITBP, and other paramilitary units have been stationed, with aerial surveillance and drone monitoring in effect throughout the pilgrimage corridor.

Authorities have also arranged medical support, RFID tracking, and emergency response teams along the entire route.