Pahalgam/Chandanwari, (J-K), June 16 : Pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir begins on Wednesday.

Arun Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of Amarnath Shrine Board said that all arrangements for the 48-kilometer pilgrimage trek to the hilltop cave shrine at Amarnath have been put in place and security has been tightened to avoid any untoward incident.

"The area leading to Amarnath has been sanitized and the security personnel are taking adequate measures to avoid any untoward incident," said Arun Kumar.

Base camps have been established at Nunwan near Pahalgam and Chandanwari. Voluntary religious and charitable organisations have also moved in to further augment the arrangements made by the authorities.

Over 150 thousand pilgrims have been registered so far across different centres in the country for the annual Amaranth pilgrimage.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of devotees trek the steep, slippery 48-kilometre (29 mile) route to reach the Amarnath cave shrine.

The Amarnath cave shrine stands at a height of nearly 12,500 feet (3,888 metres) above sea level. (ANI)