Jammu :The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has started preparations for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra after it was suspensed for five months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Vaishno Devi is a temple dedicated to Goddess Shakti who is also known as Mata Rani and Ambe located in the Katra district in Jammu and Kashmir. The J&K administration announced that the Yatra would be resumed on August 16. The temple is also being regularly sanitised and safety precautions for Covid 19 are being strictly followed.
The temple authorities are also using special measures such as
Maximum of 500 pilgrims per day will be permitted in a graded manner from outside Jammu and Kashmir
Registration of pilgrims should be made only through online mode, to avoid any assembly at counters
However, the annual Kailash Kund Yatra has been cancelled this year due to the increasing number of Covid 19 cases in the country. The authorities are allowing the 'Chhari Mubarak' procession which will start from August 16. The 10-day pilgrimage was supposed to begin on August 8 via twin tracks of Chattargala and Hayan in Jammu and Kashmir's Bhaderwah but it was delayed due to the pandemic. In this yatra, devotees travel to the Kailash Kund or lake which is located in 14,700 feet in Banderwah Jammu and Kashmir.
''Based on the circumstances and SOPs (standard operating procedures), the J&K administration, in consultation with Kailash Sewa Sangh, Sanatan Dharam Sabha, Dharmarth Trust and Vasuki Annapurna Langar, has decided that it was not advisable to hold this year's Kailash Yatra and expresses its regret while cancelling it," said Bhaderwah's Additional Deputy Commissioner Bhaderwah Rakesh Kumar in the report.
The official also added that the government will facilitate the three-day 'Chhari Mubarak' or holy mace of Lord Shiva procession, which will start from Bhaderwah on August 16 and reach 'Kailash Kund' on August 18.
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted other pilgrimages this year including the Amarnath Yatra which was cancelled after a lot of deliberation. India also did not send pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year to perform Hajj. Several big religious festivals have also been affected such as the "Lalbaugcha Raja", the biggest draw of Mumbai's 11-day Ganesh festival was cancelled due to the high concentration of Covid 19 cases in the city. Similarly, Durga Puja celebrations will also see several restrictions this year. Organisers across Kolkata are hopeful they will be able to celebrate the festival this year, in a scaled-down manner and by taking safety measures.