The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Saturday as the first batch of pilgrims left the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan to start their journey.

The 3880-metre-high cave shrine is located in the south Kashmir Himalayas.

The yatra started early in the morning from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal route. The 52-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 19.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had flagged off the first batch of 4,603 pilgrims from the Yatri Niwas base camp in Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu on Friday morning.