Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 9: The nine-day long Navratra Festival at Katra from October 13, will be marked by various events like Shobha Yatra, cultural programmes, devotional songs competition, religious discourses and international wrestling competition etc, for which various organizational sub-committees have been put in place to make this event a grand success.
The festival will be inaugurated at Asia Chowk in Katra at 11 am on October 13 by Minister for Health and Medical Education, Ch Lal Singh with lighting of traditional lamp followed by cultural procession upto main chowk, Katra. Shoba yatra (cultural procession) of troupes and tableaux showcasing culture and tradition of the State will commence as per past practice from Asia Chowk at 7 pm from October 14 onwards on all festival days.
All India Devotional Song Competition will commence at 8 pm at Yog Ashram Ground Katra on all days and grand finale will be held on October 21 with a prize of Rs 2 lakh for the winner.
Song & Drama Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, GoI will organize culture programme (Raas Lila) at Higher Secondary School, Katra at 8 pm daily. Besides this, a talent show of differently abled children of Muskan Welfare Foundation (NGO) will be organized.
Bhagwat Katha will be delivered daily at Shri Raghunath Mandir, Katra from 3 pm to 6 pm besides International Wrestling Competition will be held on October 18, 2013 between 12 noon to 6 pm at Multipurpose Sports Stadium, Katra and the wrestlers from England, Belarus, Ukraine and others are likely to contest in the event.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board on its part will be undertaking floral decoration of the entrance to the holy cave besides floral decoration of Bhawan, Adhkunwari, Banganga and Darshani Deodi at Katra. Massive painting and repair of physical assets at Katra Bhawan and all along the track have been undertaken. For providing better experience to the pilgrims, Shrine Board has launched a full-fledged sanitation campaign all along the track supported by hundreds of safai karamcharies, volunteers and yatries under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
A Shatchandi Yagya shall also be organized over a period of nine days at Bhawan attended by world renowned Vedic Priests and scholars alongwith Priests of Shrine Board culminating in the Purna Ahuti on the last day of Sharad (Autumnal) Navratras.
Pertinent to mention that the Navratra Festival is celebrated annually by the Government in collaboration with non-government agencies and allied stake holders. It is an opportunity to showcase the rich cultural diversities of J&K State and to publicize various tourist destinations having huge tourism potential. The Vaishno Devi Ji shrine and Katra town witness a massive surge of devotees during this nine-day festival of Navratri.
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