New Delhi: As the weather conditions improved after incessant rainfall, the Amarnath Yatra on Tuesday afternoon resumed from the Jammu base camp after being suspended for three days due to the shutdown of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for repairs in the Ramban section, reported news agency PTI.
According to the officials, pilgrims were allowed to move towards Kashmir for their onward journey to the Amarnath cave shrine after the highway, which had been damaged at several places due to heavy rainfall, was opened.
Notably, the suspension of the yatra had left around 15,000 pilgrims stranded in Jammu and at other places.
Those stranded at Qazigund were also allowed to move towards Jammu, the officials said. Amarnath pilgrims usually leave Jammu between 3.45 am and 4.30 am every day.
According to the agency, around 8,000 pilgrims were stranded in Jammu, particularly the Bhagwatinagar base camp.
Similarly, around 6,000 pilgrims were stranded at the Chanderkot base camp in the Ramban district. Nearly 2,000 pilgrims were stranded at Kathua and Samba camps.
The 62-day annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas, located at an elevation of 3,888 metres, began on July 1.
Since June 30, a total of 43,833 pilgrims have departed for the cave shrine from the Jammu base camp in seven batches. The pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 31, reported PTI.
Heavy rains have lashed large parts of Jammu and Kashmir since Thursday night while several high-altitude areas, including Mahaguns Top and adjoining areas near the Amarnath cave shrine, experienced snowfall.