An Indian police officer standing guard as the fleet of cars carrying the first batch of pilgrims, en route to the Amarnath shrine, passes through the outskirts of Srinagar on July 2, 2025. - AP
PAHALGAM, India: Hindus began a vast month-long pilgrimage in contested Indian Kashmir on Thursday (July 3), with many of the faithful starting from near the site where a deadly April attack triggered conflict with Pakistan.
Last year, half a million devotees took part in the Amarnath pilgrimage to a sacred ice pillar located in a cave in the forested Himalayan hills above the town of Pahalgam.
