In a new landmark, pilgrimage to holy cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi ji today crossed one crore mark for the first time in history of the shrine, setting an all time record.
News Agency had exclusively reported on December 25 that yatra to the shrine of Goddess Vaishno Devi would touch or cross 10 million on December 28.
The pilgrimage touched 1 crore at 4.20 pm today, a jubilant Additional CEO of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), Dr Mandeep K Bhandari, announced.
Dr Rakesh Vishavakarma from Jaipur, Rajasthan, who had come to darshan of Mata Vaishno Devi ji, became 10 millionth pilgrim when he registered himself for visiting the Bhawan at Shrine Board’s counter at holy town of Katra, the base camp of the shrine, at 4.20 pm.
The Shrine Board authorities brought Dr Vishavakarma and his family to Spiritual Growth Centre (SGC) near Shrine Board’s head office at Katra and facilitated him and his family. They were presented with ‘Mata Ki Chunri’ and a photograph. The entire family would be the guest of the Shrine Board during their pilgrimage. Deputy CEOs SMVDSB Rahul Sharma, Vikas Sharma and Rashpal Singh and Rohit Khajuria, CAO and Director SGC were also present on the occasion.
Dr Rakesh and his wife would be the Board’s guest for next five years, Dr Bhandari said.
This was for the first time in history of the shrine that number of pilgrims in a year has touched and crossed the figure of one crore. Significantly, the magic figure was recorded in silver jubilee year of the SMVDSB.
Mata Vaishno Devi’s shrine has become the first religious place across the country, which is not covered by road, but still received over one crore pilgrims. Some other shrines in the country including Tirupati, Shirdi and Sidhi Vinayak received more than one crore pilgrims a year but they all are covered by road.
To reach Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, the pilgrims had to trek 13 kilometer hills from Katra. Some of them hired the services of pithoos to carry luggage or children and mules. The battery car ferried only 500 odd pilgrims a day from Bhawan to Adh-Kunwari as against the arrival of 30,000 to 35,000 pilgrims per day.
Last year, highest number of 87.2 lakh yatris had visited holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji, located between Trikuta hills at a height of 5200 feet from sea level. This year the yatra was up by 13.05 lakh so far from the last year.
During last three years, pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine has recorded about 45 per cent increase. In 2008, 67.8 lakh yatris had paid obeisance to natural pindies of Goddess Vaishno Devi in sanctum sanctorum of natural cave shrine. This year, about 1.02 crore pilgrims were expected to visit the shrine.
News Agency Editor-in-Chief S D Rohmetra has congratulated Governor NN Vohra, chairman of SMVDSB on record one crore yatra to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine during the current year.
The SMVDSB was set up by the then Governor Jagmohan in 1986 taking over all affairs of the shrine from the baaridars and 13 kilometers track leading to an era of unprecedented development all around.
The Shrine Board is presently running Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University while Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence at Katra (first phase) is expected to be commissioned in next seven months. President Pratibha Devi Patil had commissioned Board’s Spiritual Growth Centre during her visit to the shrine in November this year.
Pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine was just 13.95 lakh in 1986 when the Shrine Board was constituted by an act of the Legislature. The yatra has recorded nearly seven fold increase in 25 years.
From 13.95 lakh in 1986, the pilgrimage to the cave shrine started picking up and crossed 40 lakh in 1995. By 2000, the yatra had crossed 5 million mark. In 2004, the yatra crossed 60 lakh for the first time while it crossed the figure of 7 million recording 74.17 lakh pilgrimage in 2007.
In 2008, the yatra came down to 67.92 lakh due to two months long Amarnath land row agitation but recorded a massive jump of about 14 lakh and went up to 82 lakh in 2009. In 2010, 87.2 lakh yatris visited the holy cave shrine.
Yatra during the months of June, July and August helped in achieving the magic figure of 10 million. The highest number of 11.5 lakh and 11.27 lakh pilgrims visited Mata Vaishno Devi shrine this year during the months of June and July respectively. In August, the number of yatris stood at 10.05 lakh.
During April and May, 9.77 lakh and 8.7 lakh yatris respectively had darshan of Mata Vaishno Devi ji. In September, October and November, the number of pilgrims stood at 8.25 lakh, 8.72 lakh and 6.39 lakh.
In January this year, 4.21 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance to the Goddess while lowest ever yatra of 3.69 lakh was recorded in the month of February. In March, 7.55 lakh pilgrims had visited the holy cave shrine.
In the month of December so far, 5.75 lakh yatris have visited the shrine.
After the SMVDSB took over affairs of the Shrine Board in 1986, the pilgrimage to holy cave shrine started increasing with every passing year due to massive infrastructure generated for pilgrims by the Board along with a number of facilities from Katra to Vaishno Devi Bhawan.
Several rest and guest houses with accommodation for the pilgrims, ‘Bhojnalayas’ at ‘no-profit, no-loss’ basis’, other eatable points, widening of tracks all around, creation of an alternate track from Adh-Kunwari to Bhawan with battery car facilities for aged and infirm pilgrims and construction of two new caves around the Bhawan are just to mention the facilities generated by the Board.
The upcoming facilities of the Board included an exclusive track dedicated to ponneys from Katra to Adh-Kunwari, material ropeway from Katra to Bhawan and passenger ropeway from Bhawan to Bhairon Ghati, for which ground work has already been completed.
Governor N N Vohra, who is also the Chairman of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board congratulated Board on this momentous occasion and desired that the focus of the Shrine Board must continue in the direction of providing better services and infrastructure to the visiting pilgrims. Chief Executive Officer, Raj Kumar Goyal, also conveyed his greetings to the one crore'th yatri and informed that the Shrine Board has been consistently making efforts to improve upon the existing infrastructure. Operation of Manokamna Bhawan Phase-II, starting of accommodation projects like Parvati Bhawan and Ashirwad Complex are the remarkable efforts in this direction, he said.
The work of Sports Stadium and dedicated mule track, new and renewable energy related projects, emergency helipad and ropeway projects are the highlights of the recent achievements of the Shrine Board. There has been a continuous effort to maintain the existing facilities and to provide a very satisfying experience to the visiting pilgrims. Replacement of worn out tiles on the track, provision of better medical facilities, carrying massive plantation for preservation of ecology, Disaster Management Preparedness and such other activities in this direction have been at the focus of the Shrine Board in the interest of pilgrimage.
"Lot of efforts have been made towards improvement of sanitation facilities by carrying dedicated sanitation drives, construction and improvement of the rain shelter sheds and improving the water supply to Bhawan and Adhkuwari as well as the arrangement of power to the Shrine area in the recent past. Commissioning of two major projects i.e. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Spiritual Growth Centre and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Gurukul, apart from the opening of the new tunnel leading to Sanctum Sanctorum have been the recent achievements of the Shrine Board,'' Dr Bhandari said.
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