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Vaishno Devi pilgrimage: Shrine Board adding more facilities; 9 villas coming up in Katra
The Delhi-based company, GPM Architects and Planners, has also undertaken projects at the cave shrine in Trikuta hills and Shankaracharya Temple besides Ban Ganga at Katra town
In a bid to further streamline Vaishno Devi pilgrimage, a Delhi-based company of architects and planners engaged by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board is coming up with nine villas at the base camp of Katra at a cost of ₹40 crores.
The three bed-room villas will be available for rent to the pilgrims.
The Delhi-based company, GPM Architects and Planners, has also undertaken projects at the cave shrine in Trikuta hills and Shankaracharya Temple besides Ban Ganga at Katra town.
“We are currently working on a mess-block and four three-bedroom villas out of nine in Katra at a cost of nearly ₹40 crores,” said spokesperson of the GPM Architects and Planners, Gian P Mathur.
A total of 12 acres of land has been acquired for the purpose of constructing villas near Shrine Board’s sports stadium in Katra.
The project is being implemented under the control and supervision of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
“The project is currently under construction and, by renting out these villas to pilgrims and visitors, it aims to generate revenue in the area,” said the spokesperson.
The project is being approached as a social initiative with the aim of designing services that can provide ease of access, safety and holistic wellness to the huge number of devotees that visit the temple each year.
Similarly the Shankaracharya Temple in the Katra town is also being spruced up at a cost of ₹20 crores.
“We are working on retrofitting the temple, waterproofing the existing structure, strengthening the existing columns, and developing the white marble facade. We are also constructing a 2.5 km approach pathway costing approximately ₹20 crores,” said Mathur.
The shrine board has also assigned another project to come up with a shed in the Ban Ganga area to protect the pilgrims from rains and harsh weather.
Recently, the shrine board had assigned few projects to the company’s architects who designed the entrance gate to the temple, which is designed as a 9 feet 6 inches tall marble structure inlaid with mother of pearl and gold.
Similarly, for seamless and eco-sensitive ventilation of the cave, exhaust outlets and fresh air inlets were carved into the top of the cave through core cutting and finished with a false ceiling of perforated aluminium sheet coated with PU finish.
“A special emergency exit is planned near the main temple to enhance safety and ensure a seamless experience,” said Mathur.
Contributing to a higher socio-cultural cause, we are working with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board on various design and structural interventions across the holy shrine, he added.
A shop similar to the ‘prasad-cum-souvenir shop’ at the cave shrine is also designed to come up at the base camp near Katra bus stand.
