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Devotees must complete their pilgrimage to Maa Vaishno Devi and return to the base camp in Katra within 24 hours. These new orders have been implemented by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board with immediate effect.
New rules for Vaishno Devi pilgrims
Katra: The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has made some changes to the rules regarding the pilgrimage to Maa Vaishno Devi. Obtaining an RFID travel card along with registration is now mandatory for every devotee before starting the pilgrimage to Maa Vaishno Devi. Devotees must now begin their pilgrimage within 10 hours of receiving their RFID travel card.
Furthermore, devotees must complete their pilgrimage to Maa Vaishno Devi and return to the base camp in Katra within 24 hours. These new orders have been implemented by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board with immediate effect.
Previously, the validity of the RFID travel card for starting the pilgrimage to Maa Vaishno Devi was 12 hours, and devotees could start their pilgrimage anytime within those 12 hours. However, there was no time limit for completing the pilgrimage.
Since the New Year is approaching and there has been an increase in the number of pilgrims to Maa Vaishno Devi, especially in the three to four days before the start of the New Year, a large crowd of devotees is traditionally observed.
To ensure the safety of devotees during the pilgrimage to Maa Vaishno Devi on crowded days and to prevent stampedes and overcrowding at the Bhavan complex and all major religious sites, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has issued new orders, which have been implemented with immediate effect.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has instructed the officials and staff at the pilgrimage registration centers to continuously inform devotees about the new orders.
These orders will be applicable to all devotees, whether they undertake the pilgrimage on foot, by helicopter, or by battery car. The main objective of implementing these new orders is to control the increasing crowds during the Maa Vaishno Devi pilgrimage and prevent any possibility of stampedes. The Shrine Board administration says that the new orders have been issued for the convenience and safety of the devotees.
It has often been observed that during the pilgrimage to Maa Vaishno Devi, especially on crowded days, devotees are seen resting indiscriminately in the Bhavan complex or other religious places, which increases the risk of overcrowding. To control this, the Shrine Board has implemented new orders. These orders have been issued and implemented with immediate effect.
Now, devotees will have to undertake their pilgrimage to Maa Vaishno Devi according to the new rules. Information about the new orders is also being continuously provided to devotees through the information centers established at the Maa Vaishno Devi Bhavan complex and along all the routes, so that devotees are aware of the new orders issued during the pilgrimage.
Earlier, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, while expanding the facilities for devotees, extended the operating hours of the pilgrimage registration center at Katra Railway Station from 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM. Additionally, for the convenience of devotees traveling by train late at night, a 24-hour facility to obtain RFID pilgrimage cards was also started at the Darshan Deodi entrance gate.
Along with this, the registration center established at the entrance of the new Tarakote route to Maa Vaishno Devi has also been made operational 24 hours a day for the convenience of devotees, so that devotees undertaking the pilgrimage late at night do not face any difficulties.
