The holy cave shrine of Vaishno Devi in Jammu and Kashmir has reached a new milestone, welcoming over 93.50 lakh pilgrims in 2023. This remarkable figure marks the highest footfall in the past ten years, surpassing even the previous record set in 2013.
“This pilgrimage, with a new record of over 93.24 lakh pilgrims, is the highest in the last ten years,” announced Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Chief Executive Officer Anshul Garg.
While the shrine witnessed peaks of 1,04,09,569 and 1,01,15,647 devotees in 2012 and 2011 respectively, the year 2023 has already cemented its place as one of the most blessed years for the holy site.
Currently, the daily pilgrimage sees between 37,000 and 44,000 devotees embarking on the sacred trek, and Mr. Garg anticipates this number to climb to 50,000 by the end of the year. He further expressed optimism that the total number of visitors for darshan in 2023 will surpass a staggering 95 lakh.
The surge in the number of pilgrims coincides with several recent enhancements implemented at the shrine. These include the inauguration of a skywalk at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan and a Durga Bhavan by President Droupadi Murmu in October. Additionally, a remodeled Parvati Bhavan and a state-of-the-art call center at the Katra base camp have further improved the pilgrim experience.
The ongoing development extends to technology as well, with the launch of a ‘live darshan’ facility in October, allowing devotees from around the world to experience the blessings of the shrine virtually.
