Over 69 lakh pilgrims visit Vaishnodevi shrine in J&K

An idol of Vaishnav Devi at the Handloom and Handicrafts fair at Vishakapatnam. A file picture: K.R. Deepak

As many as 69.80 lakh pilgrims from across the country have so far paid their obeisance at the cave shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi in Trikuta Hills of Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir this year, officials said here on Saturday.

However, only 56.35 lakh pilgrims had visited the shrine during the corresponding period of last year, showing an increase of 13.45 lakh this year, they said.

On an average, 25,000 to 30,000 pilgrims are daily visiting Katra, the base camp, for onward journey to the cave shrine, they said.

It is expected that around eight million pilgrims will visit the shrine this year which will be the highest so far, they said.