The number of pilgrims visiting the holy Vaishno Devi cave shrine has started picking up with about 24,000 to 25,000 devotees reaching the Katra base camp daily these days, a shrine board official said on Wednesday.
The influx of pilgrims in the first week of May was about 12,000 to 14,000 pilgrims per day, Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (MVDSB) Additional Chief Executive Officer Rohit Kansal said.
A record number of over 18.2 lakh (1.8 million) pilgrims have visited the shrine so far since January one, which is 331,000 pilgrims in excess compared to the corresponding period last year, he said.
In May, about 573,000 devotees visited the shrine whereas the figure in the corresponding period last year was about 407,000, he said.
As part of the facilities being provided to pilgrims, the SMVSB has constructed a number of toilet blocks, made arrangements for providing drinking water and built a large number of shelters on the path leading to the shrine.
