Katra: The faith of devotees visiting the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine remains unwavering despite continuous rainfall and adverse weather conditions during the ongoing Navratri festival. A large number of pilgrims are arriving in Katra to seek the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi. Around 2.25 lakh devotees visited the shrine during the first five days of Navratri.
On Wednesday night, deteriorating weather conditions and heavy rainfall caused difficulties for pilgrims along the yatra route. At several locations, devotees had to take shelter and wait for the weather to improve. Pilgrims were also seen waiting for the rain to subside near the Bhawan and Ardhkuwari temple areas.
Weather conditions improved somewhat on Thursday morning, although intermittent light rain continued. Despite the challenges, devotees continued their journey towards the shrine, chanting religious slogans and expressing their devotion to Mata Vaishno Devi.
Personnel from the disaster management teams, police, CRPF and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board remained deployed along the yatra route to monitor safety arrangements and assist pilgrims.
The adverse weather also affected helicopter services operating between Katra and the shrine. Services were disrupted intermittently due to the weather conditions. Other facilities, including battery-operated cars, ponies and palanquins, remained available to pilgrims.
According to the reported figures, around 47,500 devotees visited the shrine on October 11, followed by 48,300 on October 12, approximately 46,500 on October 13 and around 42,000 on October 14. By 1 p.m. on October 15, approximately 24,000 pilgrims had registered for the yatra.
With a significant number of devotees continuing to arrive during Navratri, the administration and Shrine Board are closely monitoring the situation. Pilgrims have been advised to remain cautious, keep track of weather conditions and follow instructions issued by the authorities
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