Pahalgam (Jammu and Kashmir), June 18 : After a night stay at Noonvan camp at Pahalgam, 3,827 Amarnath pilgrims began their pilgrimage to the holy shrine early this morning amidst tight security.

The pilgrims will take next halt at Chandanwadi camp.

Security forces have been put on a high alert along the entire route of the Amarnath yatra to ensure the safety of the pilgrims.

The security setup consists of area domination and setting up of mountain posts by Army, deployments of central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and mobile patrolling by armed police.

The CRPF has deployed 50 companies comprising 6250 men and officers while the Army has set up 97 area domination posts in and around the shrine in Lidder valley of south Kashmir Himalayas, besides Pahalgam and along the highway in Anantnag, Ramban and Udhampur districts.

Base camps have also been established at Noonwan near Pahalgam and Chandanwadi.

Over 150,000 pilgrims registered so far across different centres in the country for the pilgrimage.

Every year, a large number of devotees trek the steep, slippery 48-kilometres route to reach the Amarnath cave shrine, which stands at a height of nearly 12,500 feet above sea level. (ANI)