A fresh batch of 1,974 pilgrims, including 363 women, left Jammu city in a convoy of 85 vehicles early Sunday for the twin base camps in Kashmir to perform the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, officials said.
The drop in the pilgrim footfall was attributed to the complete melting of the naturally formed ice-shivlingam at the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
Over 3.85 lakh pilgrims have so far paid their obeisance at the shrine since the beginning of the 62-day-long yatra on July 1.
