JAMMU, July 3, 2013: Over 66,000 devotees have paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas so far even as another batch of 2,176 pilgrims left here for their upward journey.

Over 66,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine till Wednesday, yatra officials said.

Of these, 64,993 pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine till last evening, while over 1,500 had darshan on Wednesday morning.

A convoy of 67 vehicles, carrying 2,176 pilgrims, left from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu at around 5.06am for twin base camps of Pahalagam and Baltal Kashmir, police said here on Wednesday.

The seventh batch comprises 1,655 men, 403 women and 17 children, apart from 101 priests.

With Wednesday's batch, a total of 16,001 pilgrims have left Jammu base camp for Amarnath so far.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 3, 2013