The Baan Ganga entry point wears a deserted look after the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board orders suspension of the Vaishno Devi Yatra from October 5 to 7 due to the IMD's inclement weather advisory for Katra.
Following the Delhi blast, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has increased security measures, including deploying additional personnel and expediting verification processes.
As we continue our climb, I meet 59-year-old Pushpa Devi from Banaras. I stare at her in wonderment when she tells me this is her 45th visit to the temple. She is equally bewildered to hear this is my first visit!What is it that draws her here each year? 'Bas ek shabd hai. Shraddha. (There is just one word. Faith.)'
Amid chants of 'Jai Mata Di', the pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills resumed in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Wednesday, after a suspension of 22 days due to a devastating landslide that claimed 34 lives and injured 20, officials said.
The Vaishno Devi Yatra remains suspended for the fourth day following a landslide that claimed 34 lives. Pilgrims express concerns about safety, while local associations offer support.
A massive landslide struck the old track to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, leaving one pilgrim dead and 10 others injured, officials said.
The death toll in the Vaishno Devi landslide has gone up to 32, officials said on Wednesday, a day after disaster struck the route on the hilltop shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district.
Social media influencer Orhan Awatramani, known as Orry, and seven others were booked for allegedly consuming alcohol at a hotel in Katra, the base camp for the pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. The FIR was registered for violating the law and hurting religious sentiments. The hotel reportedly prohibits alcohol and non-vegetarian food due to its proximity to the shrine.
The rhythmic chants of pilgrims have been replaced with frantic footsteps of those looking for their loved ones in the wake of a disastrous landslide on the route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine which has claimed 34 lives till now.
Two women pilgrims from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh died while a five-year-old girl was grievously injured in a landslide on the new track to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Monday, officials said.
Relentless heavy rain led to a landslide on the route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hill on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least five people and injuring 14, officials said.
Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Manish Ranjan, who was killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, had planned to take his parents to the Vaishno Devi shrine after returning from this vacation, one of his friends recounted. Ranjan, a section officer with the IB posted in Hyderabad, was among the 26 people killed in the terror attack on Tuesday. The attack was condemned by leaders and administrative officers, with many vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah surprised devotees in Katra by singing a 'bhajan' dedicated to Mata Shera Wali. He also voiced support for the ongoing protest against the ropeway construction in Katra, criticizing the authorities for not considering the city's interests. Abdullah emphasized that the people have the power to make or break governments and that the authorities are now reaching out to them to discuss the ropeway's location. He added that the core teachings of all religions are the same, and it is often people who misuse religion for their own selfish purposes.
A rush of devotees at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine on Saturday morning caused a stampede, killing 12 people and injuring 20 others.
The registration at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan in Katra resumed hours after the stampede incident, in which 12 people were killed and several others were left injured.
The superstar was at the shrine around 11.30 pm and offered his prayers before returning.
The Saturday stampede that killed 12 people occurred 'due to a scuffle between two groups of pilgrims', the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) said in a statement, emphasising only 35,000 pilgrims were allowed to proceed for the yatra against the normal capacity of 50,000 in view of the pandemic.
In the first week, there shall be a cap of 2,000 pilgrims each day, of which 1,900 would be from Jammu and Kashmir and the remaining 100 from outside.
A group of 52 Pakistani Hindu pilgrims on Monday thronged the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Jammu and Kashmir.
A record number of over 18.2 lakh (1.8 million) pilgrims have visited the shrine so far since January one.
Reader Rajesh Rai sends us a picture.
A day after 12 people died in a stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Katra on Saturday, pilgrims thronged the temple for darshan following 'stricter' guidelines of the authorities.
Seven pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh and three from Delhi were among the 12 people who died in a stampede at Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Saturday, officials said.
Specially designed coaches for adverse weather conditions have been inducted for rail travel in Kashmir Valley.
Talking to PTI, he said the incident was very unfortunate, and police and other officials responded to the situation in no time.
Following the massive fire that spread to several areas, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board requested the Air Force to help douse the fire.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, however, denied the charge, saying all necessary arrangements were made in view of the expected rush, while Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh blamed a minor altercation for the 'unfortunate' incident.
Reader Kshitij Kacker sent us this picture from Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh told PTI that preliminary information from the scene suggests there was a minor altercation among some young boys, and within seconds, there was a stampede situation.
Alarmed by the Naina Devi temple tragedy, the Himachal Pradesh government on Monday constituted a three-member panel to formulate guidelines for regulation of pilgrim movement in the state's major shrines and said it will consider introducing the 'Vaishno Devi model' for the purpose.Mandi Divisional Commissioner Ashwani Kapoor has been asked to probe Sunday's stampede at Bilaspur district that claimed over 140 lives.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration is planning to set up India's best mythological theme park near the famous Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district and has sought investors for the project, officials said.
The Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu is one of the targets on the radar of terrorists, the ministry of home affairs told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
An email threatening to target the cave shrine of Vaishno Devi was purportedly sent by the banned terror outfit Lashker-e-Toiba to a hotelier in Katra to avenge the execution of 26/11 terror attack convict Ajmal Kasab, the police said on Monday.
Shweta Tiwari's day out with the kids.
The bus was carrying pilgrims from outside Jammu and Kashmir to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. Katra is the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the famous shrine atop Trikuta hills.
The ropeway and helicopter services are threats to their traditional jobs.
Qualifies for India's able-bodied archery team for Asia Cup
A high-powered probe committee set up by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited the site and appealed to the general public to share videos, statements or any other evidence about the incident.
The Jammu and Kashmir government announces plans to introduce nine new tourist destinations and reopen sites closed after the Pahalgam terror attack, aiming to revive and expand the region's tourism sector.
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