Navratri festival begins at Vaishno Devi shrine; 33,000 devotees reach Katra

The administration has made tight security arrangements for the nine-day long Navratri festival at the cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi and the base camp at Katra

Katra town, the base camp to the holy cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, recorded a footfall of nearly 33,000 devotees on the first day of the nine-day-long Navratri festival by 6pm on Monday, said officials.

Nearly 33,000 devotees reached the Katra base camp on the first day of the nine-day-long Navratri festival by 6pm on Monday. (Sourced)

“By 6pm on Monday, we recorded nearly 33,000 pilgrims on the first day of the Navratri festival that began amid religious gaiety and fervour,” said an official of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

He said that all arrangements are in place to celebrate the Navratra festival.

“In the past two years the festival was celebrated with limited events on a small scale due to the Covid pandemic but this year the festival is being celebrated with more enthusiasm and religious gaiety as many new activities have been included in the nine-day-long festival,” he said.

The administration has made tight security arrangements for the nine-day long festival at the cave shrine and base camp of Katra.

“Adequate security arrangements have been made to ensure hassle-free pilgrimage to the visiting pilgrims. CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir police, besides some columns of Army have been deployed at the base camp of Katra, Katra Railway Station and on the twin tracks. The pilgrimage is being monitored 24x7 through surveillance cameras,” said a senior police officer.

At 5,200 ft, the cave shrine is one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites and devotees from all over the country and abroad visit the shrine on auspicious days.

“Amid chanting of Vedic Mantras and performance of other religious ceremonies, Shat Chandi Maha Yagya organised by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board at the holy cave shrine commenced this morning on the auspicious occasion of beginning of Navratri festival,” said an official spokesperson of the shrine board.

The Maha Yagya marks the onset of the nine-day long Shardiya Navratri festival, which is being performed at the holy cave shrine for peace, prosperity and health of humanity, will conclude with Purna Ahuti on Ramnavmi, he added.

Like in the past, the Bhawan of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji, Atka and the area surrounding it have been profusely decorated with flowers during the Navratras.

The decorations are made with indigenous-foreign fruits and flowers, as well as huge reception doors and pandals, etc. have been installed in the Bhawan area.

Likewise, the illumination of the Bhawan area with attractive and colourful lights has also been done. The festive decorations are a special visual delight for pilgrims who trek about 12 km from Katra to Bhawan.

The Shrine Board has also made elaborate arrangements for facilitating a large number of pilgrims who are expected to pay their obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum during Navratras.

These arrangements include ensuring round the clock water and power supply all along the tracks leading to the Shrine, sanitation and sanitisation, availability of special “fast related” food at the Board’s Bhojanalaya, etc. Besides, all the routes leading to the Holy Cave Shrine have been fully maintained for smooth movement of pilgrims.

It is pertinent to mention that in 2021, a total of 1,99,550 pilgrims paid their obeisance to the holy shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji during the auspicious nine days of festivity but this year the administration anticipate around 3 lakh pilgrims during the holy Sharad Navratri.

Katra town has been decked up with beautiful lights and the grandeur of decorated tableaux with the devotional theme of ‘Shiv-Parvati’ and ‘MaaVaishno.’

Lieutenant governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha, who is also the chairman of the shrine board, on August 31, rolled out a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system for the pilgrims.

The RFID system is part of various new projects sanctioned for the convenience of the pilgrims in the aftermath of a stampede at the shrine on the New Year’s Day in which 12 devotees lost their lives and 16 others were injured.

The Shrine Board has set up two control rooms and installed 120 CCTV cameras along the track and the Bhawan to ensure the pilgrimage was regulated in a better way.

The RFID card is mandatory for all pilgrims as it helps in better crowd management and real time tracking of pilgrims.