Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 16: Pilgrimage to holy cave Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji has broken all previous records during first fortnight of January 2016, with about 2.5 lakh pilgrims performing darshan and rush increasing after opening of traditional old cave of the Goddess for the pilgrims.
“This is for the first time that 2,49,674 pilgrims have performed darshan at Mata Vaishno Devi ji shrine during first fortnight of January ever since the inception of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) in 1986,” official sources told the Excelsior.
The previous record for first 15 days of January was set in 2012 when 2,44,905 yatris had offered obeisance to Goddess Vaishno Devi.
Sources said the pilgrimage in 2016 has begun on very positive note breaking all previous records and with the opening of natural cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji, located between the Trikuta Hills at a height of 5200 feet from the sea level, the rush has further started increasing as many people want to have darshan from the holy cave through which the Goddess had entered the shrine.
The people were upbeat over the opening of natural cave shrine and despite chilly weather conditions pilgrims have started thronging Mata Vaishno Devi ji Bhawan for darshan of Goddess Vaishno Devi ji.
It was in the late nineties when yatra started increasing drastically that the Shrine Board had to construct new cave at the shrine to accommodate rush of the pilgrims as the natural shrine could hardly cater to 10,000 to 15,000 pilgrims per day. The traditional cave is opened only in January and February when the yatra is minimum. In rest of the months, the pilgrims had to reach the sanctum sanctorum through the newly constructed caves.
Sources said during 2015, 1,97,320 yatris only had visited the cave shrine in first fortnight of January while the number was 2,18,771 in 2014 and 2,11,126 in 2013.
Not only the Shrine Board but the people of Katra, which serves as base camp for the shrine, and Jammu were also jubilant over sudden increase in number of the pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi ji shrine as there had been steep decline in number of yatris visiting the Bhawan during past three years of 2013, 2014 and 2015 as compared to 2011 and 2012 when the pilgrimage had crossed 10 million mark.
About 7.7 million pilgrims had visited the holy cave shrine during 2015 recording a decline of 26,589 over 2014 and 15.47 lakh over 2013.
Since 2011 when the yatra to Mata Vaishno Devi had, for the first time, crossed one crore mark, it has maintained the declining trend. While 1.04 crore people had visited the Bhawan in 2012, the number was 1.01 crore in 2011.
About 77,76,604 yatris had paid obeisance to natural pindies of Goddess Vaishno Devi during 2015 as against 78,03,193 in 2014 and 93,23,647 in 2013.
Pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi was just 13.95 lakh in 1986 when the SMVDSB had taken over affairs of the shrine. Since then, the yatra continued to go up every year creating new records but it fell down during past two years of 2013 and 2014 due to variety of natural reasons including Kedarnath ji tragedy in 2013 followed by tensions on the International Border in 2013 and 2014 and September 2014 flood.
It was for the first time in 1991 that the pilgrimage had crossed 3 million (31.15 lakh). The 4 million mark had reached in 1996 while the yatra reached 50 lakh in 2000 and 60 lakh in 2004. It was in 2007 that the yatra stood at 74.17 lakh.
The pilgrimage came down to 67.92 lakh in 2008 due to two months long Amarnath land agitation but again went up to 82 lakh in 2009 and reached 87.2 lakh in 2010. It was for the first time in 2011 that the yatra crossed 10 million mark and stood at 1.01 crore.
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