Vaishno Devi shrine sees record pilgrims

Dec 27, 2006, 11:15 GMT

Jammu, Dec 27 (IANS) A record 6.7 million pilgrims have visited the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir this year with nearly 25,000 devotees climbing the mountainous terrain every day despite snow, rains and sub-zero temperatures.

'We have recorded the arrival of pilgrims at 6.7 million and with the rush increasing in the run upto New Year's Eve, we hope to receive over 6.9 million people,' Puneet Kumar, additional chief executive officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, told IANS.

The temple saw 6.5 million pilgrims in 2005.

'So far, the arrival of pilgrims is an all-time high,' Kumar said.

Vaishno Devi is nestled in the Shivalik range in the Himalayan foothills, 56 km north of here, and has become one of the most popular pilgrimage centres in north India.

Devotees would earlier visit the shrine only during Hindu festivals but the past few years has seen large crowds on Sikh and Christian festivals as well.

On Christmas, over 28,000 people sought the blessings of the goddess and there is likely to be a huge rush on New Year's Eve too.

'There were more than 40,000 pilgrims on Dec 31, 2005. We expect higher arrivals this time,' Kumar noted.

He said that additional facilities built by the shrine board had also contributed to the increased rush.

The 13 km track from the base camp in Katra has now been made hassle-free and there are public utility services along the way. Availability of good accommodation and food at reasonable rates has also made the shrine popular.

'Governor Lt. Gen (Retd.) S.K. Sinha, chairman of the shrine board, took personal interest in creating facilities for the comfort of pilgrims,' Kumar added.

'Our effort is to make the pilgrimage comfortable so that more people can come and fulfil their religious obligations,' he said.

© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service