Amarnath Yatra: Weather fails to dampen spirit of devotees as over 26,000 pay obeisance on Saturday  

Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar : Unfavourable weather conditions failed to dampen the enthusiasm of devotees as the annual Amarnath Yatra continued smoothly on Saturday, with 26,403 pilgrims paying obeisance at the holy cave shrine, taking the cumulative pilgrim count to 2,27,411.
According to figures available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the pilgrims who performed darshan on Saturday included 18,209 men, 7,434 women, 255 children, 155 sadhus, 12 sadhvis, 11 transgender devotees, and 327 security personnel.
Despite intermittent rain and changing weather conditions along both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes, the pilgrimage continued without any disruption as thousands of devotees trekked towards the holy cave shrine with unwavering faith.
“The weather does not matter when you have faith. We have come here with devotion, and despite the rain and difficult conditions, our enthusiasm remains the same. We are grateful to the administration for making the journey safe and smooth,” said a pilgrim from Delhi.
Meanwhile, the 10th batch of pilgrims undertaking the Yatra left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu during the early hours of Saturday under elaborate security arrangements.
Officials said 9,182 pilgrims departed for the twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam in a convoy of 333 vehicles.
According to official figures, the Baltal-bound convoy, carrying 3,305 pilgrims, left Jammu at 2:43 a.m., while the Pahalgam-bound convoy, comprising 5,877 pilgrims, departed at 3:31 a.m.
The batch included 6,455 men, 2,389 women, 31 children, 256 sadhus, 46 sadhvis, and five transgender pilgrims. No foreign pilgrim was part of the 10th batch.
Officials said the pilgrims were travelling in 196 buses, 43 medium motor vehicles (MMVs), 91 light motor vehicles (LMVs), and three two-wheelers.
Authorities said the weather situation was being closely monitored, and all necessary measures had been put in place to ensure the safety, security, and convenience of the pilgrims throughout the ongoing pilgrimage—(KNO)