Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Mar 21: Pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi was suspended today due to heavy rush of devotees.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Yatra was temporarily suspended at 4 PM today after the number of pilgrims crossed 40 thousands.
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All the registration counters in Katra were simultaneously closed and now the fresh registration of pilgrims will resume at 4 AM on Sunday, sources added.
The rush has increased due to the ongoing Chaitra Navratri, which began on March 19. Even as the number of devotees remained below the threshold point during the first two days of the Navratri because of bad weather, the rush increased today with the sunny day.
On Thursday, first day of the Navratri, 28000 pilgrims paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine while the number increased to 35000 on Friday and 40600 today, sources elaborated.
Police vehicles announced temporary suspension of the yatra asking the pilgrims to go back to their hotels. Hundreds of devotees, chanting ‘Jai Mata Di’, were seen trekking along the pathway to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine on the third day of Navratri to seek the deity’s blessings.
Authorities have put in place multi-tier security arrangements at the Katra base camp and en route to the shrine to ensure a safe and secure yatra. In view of the expected large influx of pilgrims, the shrine board has also put in place comprehensive pilgrim-centric arrangements to ensure a smooth and spiritually enriching yatra experience.
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