Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the establishment of a state-of-the-art International Museum of Goddess at Katra.
The meeting was attended by members of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board including Mahamandleshwar Swami Vishveshvaranand Giriji Maharaj, Baleshwar Rai, Ashok Bhan, Sudha Murty, Gunjan Rana, K. K. Talwar, Kulbhushan Ahuja, Lalit Bhasin and Suresh Kumar Sharma.
Padma Shri Vishwa Murti Shastri, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor Mandeep K. Bhandari, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, Vice-Chancellor University of Jammu Umesh Rai, Vice-Chancellor Cluster University of Jammu K. S. Chandrasekar and CEO SMVDSB Sachin Kumar Vaishya were also present.
During the meeting, members and stakeholders shared suggestions regarding the creation of the museum, which is envisioned as a world-class spiritual and cultural landmark.
According to officials, the proposed museum will offer pilgrims a deeper understanding of Mata Shakti through immersive storytelling, artefacts, local traditions and modern technology. It will showcase the sacred iconography of 51 Shakti Peethas along with the nine divine swaroops of Maa Durga.
The CEO of the shrine board briefed the meeting about measures taken so far, including launch of a dedicated website to seek suggestions globally, study visits to leading museums in the country and identification of domain experts for the project.
The board approved creation of a permanent post of Director General for the International Museum of Goddess along with a dedicated team of experts and officials.
Approval was also granted for creation of a dedicated corpus fund for conceptualisation, development and operation of the project.
The lieutenant governor suggested deputing a team of experts to visit various sacred Shakti Peethas proposed to be featured in the museum.
The board also resolved to appoint a specialised consultant for detailed research and architectural conceptualisation of the project.
Officials said the museum will also house an integrated library and research centre aimed at promoting awareness among younger generations about the cultural, spiritual and traditional significance of Shakti Peethas and the region.
