Hindu pilgrimage begins amid high security in Indian Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Thousands of Hindu pilgrims have begun the arduous trek to an icy Himalayan cave in disputed Kashmir with tens of thousands Indian government forces guarding roads and mountain passes.
The pilgrims, many of them barefooted ascetics, chanted hymns as they traveled through forested areas up in Kashmir’s Himalayas on Monday.
More than 200,000 pilgrims are expected to visit the cave during the 45-day pilgrimage.
Hindus worship a stalagmite inside the hallowed mount