4 lakh pay obeisance during Navratras
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 23: Pilgrimage to holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi Ji today crossed eight million mark and is expected to touch 10 million this year after 11 years if everything goes well while four lakh yatris paid obeisance to the Goddess during last 10 days including nine Navratras.
SMVDSV CEO Anshul Garg told the Excelsior that pilgrimage to the shrine crossed 80 lakh this evening which was a significant landmark.
“During last 10 days including nine Navratras, four lakh yartris paid obeisance to Goddess Vaishno Devi,’’ he said.
On an average 35,000 to 40,000 pilgrims are daily visiting the cave shrine.
Garg said four major projects were launched at Mata Vaishno Devi Ji Bhawan during Navratras including Skywalk, remodeled Parvati Bhawan, expanded Atka area and free Langar for the yatris at Bhairon Ghati.
Pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine had for the first time crossed one crore in 2011. It again crossed 10 million mark in 2012 but since then it hasn’t touched the milestone.
If the pilgrimage reached the figure of one crore this year, it will be after 11 years that the 10 million mark will be achieved.
The special additions to the pilgrimage during the Navratri festival included a skywalk, remodelled Parvati Bhawan, virtual darshan through the holy natural cave, and free langar sewa at Shri Bhairon Ji temple complex, besides the ‘live darshan facility’ and bi-lingual ‘Shakti’ chatbot on the website of the Board for the pilgrims, the spokesperson said.
These initiatives are aimed at making the pilgrimage more convenient and enjoyable for the devotees
The skywalk was inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu on October 12 and played a pivotal role in the yatra management during the Navratri festival. It achieved the desired aim of decongesting the Bhawan area by streamlining the entry and exit routes to the holy cave, the spokesperson said.
Free ‘Langar’ at Bhairon Ghati has been turning out to be very useful for the pilgrims who visit Bhairon temple after paying obeisance to Goddess Vaishno Devi in Trikuta hills of Katra in Reasi district.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also visited Mata Vaishno Devi shrine yesterday.
It may be mentioned here that annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine was just 13.86 lakh in 1986 when the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVSB) took over affairs of the shrine.
Since then, many facilities have been added for the pilgrims to make their yatra smooth and convenient.
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