Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Archives - Lokmarg

Huge Rush Witnessed At Mata Vaishno Devi Ahead Of New Year

By LokMarg 31st December 2022

The Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu witnessed a huge rush of devotees on Saturday as serpentine queues were seen on the Trikota hills of Katra despite the severe cold conditions ahead of New Year.

Devotees hailing from different regions of the country, including children, were seen chanting “Jai Mata Di” as they made their way up and down the hill, wishing each other the best ahead of the new year.
“I am getting a good feeling. I come here on the eve of every new year. I have been coming here for 5-6 years to pray to Mata Devi. I am feeling good,” said Manish Kumar, a devotee from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, who was seen chanting “Jai Mata Di”.

Poonam Sharma, another devotee said, “I wish that ‘Mata Rani’ shower her blessings upon everyone. Everyone remain happy. May the new year turn out well and bring happiness to everyone”.

Reminded about the Vaishno Devi stampede of January 1, 2022, in which 12 people were killed and 16 were injured, Sharma said, “It was an unfortunate incident.” And hoped more facilities would be provided in the future.

Ranjan, a devotee who came from Punjab along with her family wished happiness for all.

“I am feeling very happy. May God shower her blessings on everyone — is my wish. I feel fortunate to have come here along with my family to pay our respects at the feet of Mata Devi. I wish happiness to everyone on the eve of the new year,” Ranjan said.

Earlier this month, Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted a security review of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra of Reasi district.

On December 21, Deputy Inspector General, Udhampur-Reasi Range Mohd Suleman Choudhary held the security review meeting that was attended by Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi Amit Gupta, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Commandant, Superintendent of Police, Katra, among others.

The DIG reviewed every security drill of the shrine, the yatra route, safety and security of pilgrims visiting the shrine on a daily basis.

The DIG further directed to conduct of a joint security drill along with the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and other intelligence agencies for the security of the shrine. (ANI)

Number Of Pilgrims To Vaishno Devi Shrine To Cross 1 Cr In 2022

By LokMarg 5th December 2022

The number of pilgrims at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine this year, is set to cross the magical number of one crore, after nearly two years of closure due to Covid-19.

According to official statistics, 86 lakh pilgrims have visited the shrine, located on Trikota mountain in the Reasi district of Jammu province. Also, the number may cross one crore by the end of December as more people used to visit this Gupha in the month of December.

In 2013, 93.24 lakh pilgrims visited ‘Gupha’. In the year, 85,86,541 pilgrims have come, while 85,63,138 pilgrims have done darshan so far.

In 2020, the Yatra was hit the hardest due to the restrictions imposed in view of the Covid pandemic, leading to the number of visitors dropping to 1987 levels.

Thousands of people have been coming daily from Union Territories and other parts of the country. The increase in pilgrimage has been possible due to the effective and pilgrim-oriented management of the Shri Vaishnava Devi Shrine Board.

During this year, an average of about 25-30 thousand devotees visited the cave on a daily basis. At present, the footfall has decreased due to winter and the wedding season, but the footfall is expected to increase in the second half of December.

In the year 2012, a maximum of one crore of four lakh five thousand devotees visited the shrine of Mata Vishnu Devi.

Till November last year, 49,49,967 devotees had performed puja while this year till the end of November 36,13,171 more pilgrims have visited the cave. Around 15 lakh people are expected to visit the shrine by the end of the year.

Since the establishment of the Shri Mata Vaishnava Devi Shrine Board in 1986, the shrine has seen a steady increase in the number of devotees.

The board has taken various initiatives over the years for the convenience of pilgrims including a mobile app, home delivery of pooja prasad, round-the-clock call centre for the convenience of pilgrims, installation of hi-tech video walls, and construction of Durga Bhavan.

On its foundation in August, Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha launched the new RFID system for passenger convenience. This system will ensure seamless access control with minimum hassle to the devotees. For better crowd management and tracking of pilgrims, 29 counters and control rooms have been set up at Katra and verification counters have been set up at 7 locations on the track. (ANI)

Modi Replaced Stones With Computers, Jobs: Shah In J-K

By LokMarg 4th October 2022

Highlighting the Modi government’s development push in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that the Centre had given computers and employment to youth who earlier held stones in their hands.

The Union home minister, who launched development projects of around Rs 1,960 crore in Jammu, was referring to past incidents of stone-pelting which would be frequently reported from the valley.
“After the abrogation of Article 370, people in J-K got benefits from various government schemes. Democracy is strengthened when people welcome the change. It is important to identify the three families of J-K which nurtured separatism instead of development,” Shah said.

He said the central government gave computers and employment to the youth who earlier held stones in their hands.

“Earlier there were stone-pelting incidents. But, no such incidents are there now. We have to understand the change that has come now. We identified those in the administration who were supporting terrorism and rooted them out. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken out ‘Jamhooriyat’ (democracy) from three families in Jammu and Kashmir and has taken it to the people through 30,000 Panchayati raj members,” said Shah.

In the 70 years since independence, the Home Minister said only Rs 15,000 crore were invested in Jammu and Kashmir, but since 2019, an investment of about Rs 56,000 crore has been brought in the erstwhile state.

Shah further said that the youth of J-K will benefit greatly from tourism. He said 50 lakh tourists have visited Jammu and 22 lakh tourists have visited Kashmir in recent months.

“Earlier the delimitation was done only for the benefit of three families. For the first time post Independence, there has been a real delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir now, due to which the people of the hilly region have got their rights,” Shah added.

Shah, who is on a 3-day visit to J-K, reached Jammu Monday evening after which he met people from various communities including Gujjar-Bakarwal, Rajput, Pahari, and Sikhs.

He began his day on Tuesday with a visit to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra where he offered prayers. Notably, this was Shah’s first visit to the holy shrine after being appointed the Home Minister of the Modi government 2.0.

His visit, during which he was accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Minister Jitendra Singh, coincided with the ninth day of the ongoing Navratri festival.

Shah is slated to hold a number of crucial meetings including the ones regarding the security situation in the region on Wednesday. He will review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a meeting that is slated to be held at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.

LG Manoj Sinha, top officials of the Army, paramilitary forces, state police, and civil administration will take part in this high-level meeting expected to begin at 10 am tomorrow.

Before concluding his visit to the Union Territory, Shah will also launch and lay foundation stones for various development projects in Srinagar tomorrow afternoon. (ANI)