Srinagar, Jul 3: Over 12,000 pilgrims had darshan of the naturally formed ice ‘Shivling’ in the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas on the first day of the pilgrimage on Thursday, officials said.
“A total of 12,348 pilgrims paid obeisance at the 3,880-metre high cave shrine on the first day of the pilgrimage,” they said.
The officials said that it included 9,181 male pilgrims, 2,223 female pilgrims, 99 children, 122 sadhus, seven sadhvis and eight transgenders.
The officials further said that they had not expected such high number of pilgrims to attend the pilgrimage on the very first day, especially in the wake of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 this year.
Unprecedented security measures have been taken to ensure a smooth pilgrimage this year.
