Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir flagged off the first batch of Amarnath Yatra devotees on Friday.
In all, 950 pilgrims left for Baltal from Jammu.
Security has been stepped up on various routes and forces have been deployed to ensure safety of devotees.
Mir said the traditional route to Amarnath via Pahalgam is shut due to heavy snowfall and unfavourable weather conditions and the pilgrimage will start from Baltal route.
"The journey from Pahalgam has been stalled for three days due to snowfall and weather conditions. The pilgrims who are leaving from here would go from Baltal side," said Mir.
Devout Hindu devotees chanted the name of Lord Shiva as they left for the base camp from Jammu. Thousands of pilgrims undertake this journey to the shrine cave of Shivlinga.
The cave containing the holy Shiva shrine is located at a snow-capped mountainous peak of the Himalayas.
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Such is the faith of the devout Hindus that despite hostile environs, and inclement weather, records are broken year after year as far as the number of pilgrims as evident from the number of pilgrims increasing with each passing year.
This annual pilgrimage commences in the last week of June every year and concludes in early August.
Undeterred by violence, Hindu pilgrims trekked daily through icy streams and frozen mountain passes to 3,800 metres (12,700 feet) high Amarnath cave shrine, to worship an ice stalagmite, believed to be the symbol of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and regeneration.