Jammu: Unlike the highest footfall recorded by the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine here in Trikuta Hills of Katra town in Reasi district during the ‘Navratri’ festival, the shrine wore a deserted look on Wednesday amid the restrictions imposed in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration had recently announced closure of the Vaishno Devi yatra and banned all interstate buses as part of the precautionary measures to arrest the spread of coronavirus.
The shrine authorities said only a few rituals are being observed at the temple.
This is for the first time that the city of temples, Jammu, looks desolate on the first day of ‘Chaitra Navratri’ with most of the temples shut.
“The annual ‘mahayagya’ continued at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, apart from the ceremonies connected with Navratri,” Chief Executive Officer, Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board (SMDSV), Ramesh Kumar told PTI.
Usually, a crowd of around 40,000 to 50,000 people throng the holy shrine on the first day of Navratri.
The shrine, however, has decided to telecast live the ‘darshan’ of Holy Pindis Maa Vaishno Devi daily.
