Jammu, April 9 – A record number of over 23 lakh pilgrims have so far paid obeisance at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra town of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, the Shrine Board CEO said.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board CEO, Sachin Kumar Vaishya, told reporters on Wednesday that 23 lakh pilgrims had visited the shrine so far this year, which is two lakh more than last year.
He assured pilgrims visiting the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine that facilities were being further improved to provide convenience for devotees coming from abroad and within the country to pay obeisance at the shrine.
The management of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine is under the Shrine Board, which is led by the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha.
Dedicated to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, a manifestation of the goddesses Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswati, the shrine is situated on the Trikuta mountain at an elevation of 5,200 feet (1,500 metres).
The temple is 43 km from the Jammu city and 29 km from the district headquarters in Reasi town.
The temple is governed by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, and the Governor/Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir is its ex-officio Chairman since August 1986.
The shrine originally began as a sacred site for local tribes, who worshipped the region's natural geography.
The mountain's three prominent peaks were revered as the goddess "Trikuta Devi", a name that was used for centuries.
Following migrations into the Jammu region around the 12th century (after the 1192 Battle of Tarain), a cultural synthesis took place. During this period, the local deity Trikuta Devi gradually became identified with the Goddess Vaishno Devi.
However, the original name remained in common use for a long time; 19th-century European travellers, including G.T. Vigne in 1842 and Sir Richard Temple in 1859, still referred to the deity as "Trikuta Devi" or "Trikuta Mai".
For much of its early history, the pilgrimage to the shrine was largely limited to ascetics and local residents due to the dense forests and difficult terrain. However, historical records indicate that regional rulers occasionally made the journey.
According to the 1847 royal chronicle Rajdarshani by Ganeshdas Badehra, Raja Jas Dev of Jammu visited the shrine in 996 CE.
Traditions also state that the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, visited the site in 1672.
In the 18th century, Maharaja Ranjit Dev of Jammu visited the shrine to seek blessings prior to a political trip to Lahore.
Following his visit, he established the first formal facilities for pilgrims, including water stations and temporary shelters.
Today, the shrine is the most revered Hindu pilgrimage site in Jammu and Kashmir.