The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Thursday with the first batches of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan towards the 3880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas, which houses a naturally formed ice-lingam, officials said.

The yatra started early morning from the twin tracks, the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal route.

The batches of pilgrims, including men, women and sadhus, left from the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, in south Kashmir`s Anantnag, and Baltal base camp in Sonamarg area of central Kashmir`s Ganderbal at the first light of the day, the officials said.