Over 40 lakh pilgrims visit Mata Vaishno Devi shrine

Jammu, Aug 3 (UNI) A record number of over 40.54 lakh pilgrims from all over the country visited the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi this year, an increase of over 4.86 lakh over the last year, an official spokesman said today.

Om Prakash Pada, a spokeperson of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, said during the corresponding period last year 35.68 lakh pilgrims have visited the holy cave shrine.

In the month of July alone, over 7.12 lakh devotees visited the shrine as compared to 6.72 lakh during the corresponding period last year.

Presently 19,000 to 20,000 pilgrims are daily reaching Katra, the base camp, for their onward journey to the holy cave shrine.

Last year a total 62 lakh pilgrims visited the Dham situated at a height of 14000 meters.

Besides other facilities, biscuits, cold drinks, tea, coffee, milk and mineral water were being made available to the pilgrims all along the way from Banganga to Bhawan, on no profit basis, at refreshment units run by the Shrine Board.

Most of these are located at select locations from where pilgrims can have a panoramic view of the area. These are also known as viewpoints.

The Board also runs catering units known as 'Bhojanalayas' at Katra, Ardhkumari, Sanji Chatt and Bhawan where full meals and a variety of other edible items were available.

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