Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 15: After witnessing decline for three consecutive years between 2013-2015, the pilgrimage to holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji has again started picking up this year recording an increase during first three and half months over the previous two years while Chaitra Navratras this year also recorded increase in yatra as compared to last year.
Official sources told the Excelsior that 17,71,411 pilgrims have visited holy cave shrine of Goddess Vaishno Devi, located between Trikuta Hills in Katra at a height of 5200 feet from sea level so far. The number has gone up by over two lakh from 2015 when the pilgrimage during similar period was 15,70,531. The number was also up from 2014 by 53,659 when the yatra till April 15 was 17,17,752.
During Navratras, which concluded today, 2,17,231 pilgrims offered obeisance to natural pindies of Goddess Vaishno Devi. The number was up by 8541 as the last year, 2,08,690 yatris had visited the much revered shrine during the Chaitra Navratras.
Sources said it was due to heavy rush of pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi ji shrine since 1986 after takeover of the shrine affairs by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) and the offerings by the pilgrims that the Board has been able to construct Super Specialty Hospital at Katra with an estimated cost of Rs 300 crores, which would prove an asset not only for the people of Jammu and Kashmir but entire North India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the hospital on April 19.
All three months and half of the April so far have recorded significant increase in the pilgrimage to holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji over the corresponding period last year.
In the month of January this year, 4,32,246 pilgrims visited Mata Vaishno Devi shrine while the number during same month last year was 3,59,453. In February, which is considered as most lean period of yatra due to examinations outside the State and extreme winter, the yatra was recorded at 2,96,746 while the figure for last year stood at 2,89,460.
In March 2016, 6,48,935 pilgrims paid obeisance to Goddess Vaishno Devi ji as compared to 6,17,785 last year. During first half of April, 3,93,484 yatris offered prayers at the Bhawan while the number last year was 3,03,833.
About 7.7 million pilgrims had visited the holy cave shrine during 2015 recording a decline of 26,589 over 2014 and 15.47 lakh over 2013.
Since 2011 when the yatra to Mata Vaishno Devi had, for the first time, crossed one crore mark, it has maintained the declining trend. While 1.04 crore people had visited the Bhawan in 2012, the number was 1.01 crore in 2011.
About 77,76,604 yatris had paid obeisance to natural pindies of Goddess Vaishno Devi during 2015 as against 78,03,193 in 2014 and 93,23,647 in 2013.
Pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi was just 13.95 lakh in 1986 when the SMVDSB had taken over affairs of the shrine. Since then, the yatra continued to go up every year creating new records but it fell down during past three years of 2013, 2014 and 2015 due to variety of natural reasons including Kedarnath ji tragedy in 2013 followed by tensions on the International Border in 2013 and 2014 and September 2014 flood.
It was for the first time in 1991 that the pilgrimage had crossed 3 million (31.15 lakh). The 4 million mark was reached in 1996 while the yatra reached 50 lakh in 2000 and 60 lakh in 2004. It was in 2007 that the yatra stood at 74.17 lakh.
The pilgrimage came down to 67.92 lakh in 2008 due to two months long Amarnath land agitation but again went up to 82 lakh in 2009 and reached 87.2 lakh in 2010. It was for the first time in 2011 that the yatra crossed 10 million mark and stood at 1.01 crore.
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