Vaishno Devi shrine overflows with devotees

Katra, Sept 28 (ANI): The Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu witnessed a massive surge of devotees during the nine-day festival of Navratri.

The tourist inflow has been increasing every year and a record is being maintained since, the shrine board came into existence in 1986.

This year too, the rush was huge, causing considerable discomfort to devotees.

"After coming here, we found that there is a massive crowd here. The hotels are full. There is no place even in the dharamsala. We had to spend the night with difficulty. They did not give us tokens and told us there is waiting for at least six hours. We are facing lot of problems," said Rajeev Singh, a devotee from New Delhi.

The number of devotees till the month of August, crossed the six million mark, which is 1.2 million more, than last year's figure of 4.8 million.

"Every year, the pilgrimage is increasing by the grace of the goddess. Till now, the maximum number of devotees we have received has been 7.5 million. This year too, the number has crossed six million so far, which, considering this time, is more in past ten years," said Mandeep Bhandari, an additional CEO, Vaishno Devi.

To seek the blessings of the Divine Mother in her three manifestations of Maha Saraswati, Maha Kali and Maha Lakshmi, over 6.5 million pilgrims visit the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi every year.

A pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine during the Navratri is considered most auspicious.

"Navratri" is celebrated twice in a year, -- during the spring and the autumn season. (ANI)