Annual Machail Yatra
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 26: Several organizations have demanded setting up of a board on the lines of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board to manage the annual Machail Yatra in Kishtwar district.
The 43-day yatra commenced on July 25 and so far over 2.20 lakh pilgrims have visited the revered shrine and performed ‘darshan’ at Chandi Mata Dham in Machail.
The demand by several organizations comes days after two groups involved in the annual yatra allegedly clashed at the temple to take over management of the shrine.
“We demand a high-level inquiry into the incident which has hurt the sentiments of the devotees and stress for creation of shrine board on the pattern of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board”, President SSDS Bhadarwah, Ved Kumar Kotwal told reporters.
Kotwal said Machail Yatra was started by Singh with a handful of devotees and it is because of his honesty, dedication and spiritual powers that the annual pilgrimage has attracted lakhs of pilgrims from across the country in the last 38 years.
“It is unfortunate that some unscrupulous elements for their vested interest created a scene there, as a result of which the yatra returned without ‘Charri Mubarak’ (holy mace) for the first time, which has badly hurt the sentiments of the devotees”, he said.
He said the series of events indicate that the whole episode was pre-planned to perhaps to hush-up the cement bags scandal.
The Governor should immediately order creation of a shrine board to manage Machail Yatra to restore the sanctity of the pilgrimage, Kotwal added.
SSDS General Secretary Neeraj Singh Manhas alleged that the local police and civil administration maintained a slack attitude despite being informed well in advance about the notorious designs of the unscrupulous elements that have planned to create trouble during pilgrimage.
Meanwhile, MLC Bhadarwah Naresh Gupta and President Shri Sanatan Dharam Sabha Kishtwar Hans Raj Bhutyal have also demanded Shrine Board to manage the annual Machail Yatra in Kishtwar district and enquiry into the incident, which took place at Chandi Mata Dham few days back.
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