Vaishno Devi getting maximum pilgrims

The Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir is attracting a high of 40,000 pilgrims per day and the authorities hope they would surpass last year's peak season record.

The Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir is attracting a high of 40,000 pilgrims per day and the authorities hope they would surpass last year's peak season record.

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According to Arun Kumar, CEO Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, the daily number of visitors to the shrine varies between 38,000 to 44,000 in the peak season. The figure is expected to go up in the coming years.

He hoped on Monday the number of pilgrims this year would exceed last year's record of seven million.

The shrine, situated at a height of 5,200 ft, nestles in Trikuta hills in the Himalayan foothills and is about 60 kms north of Jammu.

The shrine board is making efforts to tackle the rush of pilgrims and devise a mechanism to cut down the waiting period, he said.

"The shrine board has already started Internet bookings and registration of pilgrims at designated outlets to ensure hassle-free pilgrimage," Kumar said.

He said adequate infrastructure had been created en-route the 13-km track to meet the growing pilgrim rush. "We are in touch with the Border Roads Organisation to have the Rs 200 million double laning Domail-Katra road project completed by March 2008," Kumar said.