3 hrs ago
Thousands Begin Navratri Pilgrimage to Decorated Vaishno Devi Shrine
Shardiya Navratri is a nine-day festival, and it has begun in Katra.
Many people are travelling to the Vaishno Devi shrine to pray.
The shrine is in the Trikuta hills.
The 13-kilometre path is decorated with lights and flowers.
Officials expect more than 50,000 visitors each day.
The Shrine Board says it has arranged security and volunteers to help pilgrims.
It has also set up medical kiosks and drinking water points.
An AI-based system is being used to help manage crowds.
The Board says it wants the journey to be safe and comfortable.
Shardiya Navratri began Sunday in Katra, the base camp for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.
Thousands of devotees set out for the shrine in the Trikuta hills.
The 13-kilometre route from Darshani Deodi to Bhawan was decorated with lights and flowers.
Officials expect more than 50,000 pilgrims each day during the festival.
The Shrine Board says it has arranged security, medical kiosks, water points, volunteers and AI-based crowd management.
- Who
- Thousands of devotees, with officials expecting more than 50,000 pilgrims daily.
- What
- The nine-day Shardiya Navratri festival and pilgrimage to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine began.
- Where
- Katra, Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir, and the route to the shrine in the Trikuta hills.
- When
- Sunday, the first day of the nine-day festival; no calendar date is given.
- Why
- Devotees are visiting the shrine to seek blessings and pay obeisance.
Key facts
- Festival
- Nine-day Shardiya Navratri
- Base camp
- Katra, Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir
- Route length
- 13 kilometres, from Darshani Deodi to Bhawan
- Expected daily attendance
- More than 50,000 pilgrims
- Crowd and safety measures
- Multi-tier security and an AI-based crowd management system
- Pilgrim services
- Volunteers, medical kiosks, drinking water points and holding areas
- Organizing body
- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board
Quotes
Ishkaran Singh
A pilgrim from Indore.
“All we want is darshan of Mata Rani. It is Mata Rani's aashirwad that pulls us every year to the cave shrine.”
NDTV
“For the whole year we wait for Navratras so that we can visit the holy shrine to pay obeisance.”
NDTV
Sources
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