Katra/Jammu: Himachal Pradesh Governor Kavinder Gupta on Saturday paid obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine here and said efforts would be made to create a religious corridor linking Jammu and Kashmir with the neighbouring state to promote pilgrimage tourism.
He said the Union territory and Himachal Pradesh share a common cultural heritage and reverence for many of the same deities, making the proposed corridor a natural extension of their long-standing spiritual connection.
“In the coming years, our effort will be to create a religious corridor so that pilgrims who visit Jammu and Kashmir can also travel onward to Himachal Pradesh,” Gupta told reporters at Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the revered shrine.
Accompanied by his family members, the Himachal governor offered his prayers at the shrine atop the Trikuta hills, noting that both the regions are home to numerous revered shrines and religious sites that attract devotees from across the country.
The proposed initiative, he said, would help promote pilgrimage tourism while strengthening cultural and people-to-people links between the two regions.
Expressing satisfaction over the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the governor said through the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, militancy in the Union territory “has come to an end”.
“May the divine mother continue to bless us, and may the peaceful atmosphere that we have long hoped for continue to prevail,” he said.
Highlighting the growing influx of tourists and pilgrims to Himachal Pradesh, he said the state government is working to improve infrastructure and visitor facilities to provide a better travel experience.
“People from all over the country are coming to Himachal Pradesh… The government is also making efforts to provide more facilities to visitors and to develop infrastructure. I would like to tell everyone to visit Himachal Pradesh and leave with a wonderful experience,” he said.
Gupta added that the Indian civilisation and culture are among the oldest in the world. “We are home to countless temples and sacred places of gods and goddesses. I believe we are better off promoting and appreciating our own heritage rather than looking abroad. We should move forward with this mindset,” he said.
