Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board authorities are fully geared up to welcome pilgrims from different parts of the country during the nine-day long Navrata festival beginning September 26.
Post Covid-19 pandemic it is for the first time the nine day long Navratra festival is being organised in Katra by the Department of Tourism in collaboration with the Shrine board and other agencies.
Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Anshul Garg said, "we are expecting more than three lakh pilgrims to visit the cave shrine during the Navratra festival". Around 70 lakh pilgrims have already performed darshan inside the sanctum sanctorum this year.
To create a spiritually stimulating atmosphere in and around the cave shrine area the board authorities have decorated the paths leading to the shrine with large varieties of imported flowers and fruits. Welcome gates have been erected to give a festive look to the Katra base camp as well. The board authorities have also illuminated the Bhawan area with attractive and colourful lights to give a scintillating look to the abode of Maa Vaishno devi nested in Trikuta Hills.
The breathtaking and festive decorations are a special visual delight for pilgrims who trek about 12km from Katra to Bhawan. Several tons of cosmetic and fresh flowers are used for decoration purposes and to install welcome gates, decorate idols, and huge pandals in the Bhawan area.
Elaborate security arrangements are already in place to ensure an incident free festival.
Anshul Garg said, after the introduction of the Radio Frequency Identification yatra cards (RFID) the crowd management system will be put to test. "We have installed CCTV cameras at about 40 locations and seven special screening counters have been set up to ensure smooth flow of the pilgrims between different yatra halting points". This way we can plan the yatra in case of heavy flow of pilgrims. A separate control room has been set up in the office of SDM, Cave Shrine in the Bhawan area to regulate the smooth movement of pilgrims and prevent any mass assembly of pilgrims at one location.
This year, famous artists including Shaan, Mohit Chauhan, Siddharth Mohan, Kaler Kanth, Kavita Paudwal, Lakhwinder Wadali, Manhar Udhas,Vipin Aneja, Tulsi Kumar, Richa Sharma, Sayli Kamble and other prominent young artists of the Shrine board have been roped in by the board to present devotional songs after the 'aarti poojan' inside the cave shrine.
CEO Anshul Garg said, "We have also developed attractive Selfie points along the 13 km long serpentine yatra track to woo the pilgrims so that when they return home they carry sweet memories of the pilgrimage.
The shrine board authorities have added special dishes in the main menu in order to tease the taste buds of pilgrims undertaking the yatra. Previously we used to offer six food items across bhojnalaya/eating points but now we have expanded the items on the menu list by offering food for pilgrims observing fast as well.
We have set up additional prasad counters to make sure the pilgrims don't have to wait in long queues to get their packets while returning.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu on Sunday Division Commissioner Romesh Kumar said, The inaugural function will be held at Yog Ashram Ground Katra followed by Shobha Yatra and a grand event showcasing the culture and heritage of Jammu and Kashmir and India as a whole.
He said congregational programmes like ‘Prabhat Pheris’, ‘Mata ki Kahani’ recitation, Devotional Song Competition, Dangal and other cultural items have been added in the list of events after a gap of two long years.
During the festival the tourism department has decided to introduce the Garbha Night event to add diverse dimensions to the religious cum cultural event. Ram Leela will also be presented daily at Government Higher Secondary School Katra from 6 PM to 8 PM.
Several other events have been proposed to be held during the festival days, including All India Devotional song performance, Bhagwat Katha, folk festival, Hasya Vyang, Wrestling Competition and variety of cultural programmes.