Travel starts: 5,880 pilgrims set up for Amarnath, under heavy security cover. Bharat News

The convoy was flagged off by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. He said, “Wishing all spiritual seekers a safe and comfortable journey for the holy residence of Lord Shiva for a deep soul-creation experience. He prayed to Baba Amarnath for peace and blessings,” he said.

This year’s Amarnath pilgrimage comes after more than two months, when 26 civilians were killed in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, mostly tourists.

An unprecedented multi-level security cover was on Wednesday as the convoy went to Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

Officials said, “24 × 7 is being monitored from the Integrated Command and Control Center in Raj Bhavan and Police Control Room, while an RFID-based tracking system is also kept on real-time basis to monitor the movement of Yatris and their convoy.

Out of the first batch, 2489 pilgrims will travel through Baltal and 3,403 through Pahalgam. An official said that most of the 3.31 lakh pilgrims to be registered for the yatra this year have chosen to go by Pahalgam route. Last year, the yatra recorded the most footfall in 12 years, with more than five million devotees visit the holy cave.

A pilgrim from Mumbai, who did not want to name, said that the yatra was to pay tribute to those killed in the April attack. He said, “This year’s pilgrimage is a message to the terrorists (that) we are not afraid of them,” he said.