JAMMU, April 15 -- Registration for the annual Amarnath Yatra began on Wednesday, drawing large crowds of devotees to designated counters across Jammu.

The advance registration process is available in both online and offline modes, officials said, with long queues witnessed at bank branches since early morning.

The 57-day pilgrimage is scheduled to commence on July 3 via the twin routes - the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam track in Anantnag and the shorter 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal - and will conclude on Raksha Bandhan on August 28.

Punjab National Bank, the nodal bank for the yatra, has facilitated registration through 556 branches nationwide, including 310 of its own. In Jammu, six counters have been set up to manage the rus...