Around 2 lakh pilgrims pay obeisance at Vaishno Devi shrine during Navratras

Jammu, Oct 25: Nearly two lakh pilgrims paid obeisance during nine-day long Navratras at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Cave Shrine situated in Trikuta Hills of Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the government has also issued fresh guidelines for the pilgrims reaching Katra asking for valid and verifiable RT-PCR/Rapid Antigen Test not older than 72 hours of arrival in the Union Territory.

A Shrine Board official said during nine days of Navratras from October 7 to 15, as many as 1,99,550 pilgrims visited the Bhawan.

As per official figures, on Oct 7, 24950 pilgrims visited Bhawan, on Oct 8, 24900, on Oct 9, 24970, on Oct 10, 24980, on Oct 11, 24990, on Oct 12, 24825, on Oct 13, 24995 and on Oct 14, 24940 devotees prayed at the shrine.

He also said in the wake of an uneven trend in the number of Covid-19 cases in the Union Territory, the administration has revised the guidelines for the pilgrims visiting the temple.

“Valid and verifiable RT-PCR/Rapid Antigen Test not older than 72 hours of arrival should be made mandatory. Only those pilgrims will be allowed to visit the shrine showing no COVID-19 related symptoms,” said an order.

By mid of September this year, approximately 32 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the world famous Cave Shrine.

“Though Covid second wave hit the country in the month of March but despite that, pilgrimage to the cave Shrine was not suspended but limited,” an official said.

Pertinently in 2020 due to COVID outbreak, for the first time in history, pilgrimage was suspended to the Bhawan.