Jammu, Mar 3 : More than ten lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance in the first two months (January-February) of this year at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Cave Shrine nestled in Trikuta Hills of Katra town in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Official sources said that In January and February, total 10,49,534 pilgrims visited the cave shrine.

Last year, during the same time period, 9,38,621 devotees offered prayers at Bhawan, which showed an increase of 110913 pilgrims in the first two months of the current year, they said.

They revealed that in the month of January this year, 616609 and in February, 432925 pilgrims paid obeisance at the Cave Shrine, adding, “a total of 1049534 pilgrims visited the Bhawan.”

In January last year, official sources added that 524184 devotees visited Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan and 414432 devotees in the month of February.

“The rush of pilgrims will decline for a brief period in view of examinations across the country but there will be an increase in the number of pilgrims after April,” they added.

In 2023, notably, 95.22 lakh pilgrims, the highest number in the past decade, visited the shrine.

UNI