Decline in the number of pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi…Why is the number of devotees decreasing, know the reason
Jammu. The number of pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi temple located on the Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district dropped below 70 lakh in 2025, a significant indicator of the impact on the annual pilgrimage due to a series of security incidents and prolonged inclement weather.
The officers provided this information. According to officials, a total of 68.85 lakh pilgrims visited till December 28 this year and around 70,000 more pilgrims are expected in the remaining days of 2025 in view of the huge influx of pilgrims in view of the New Year.
He pointed out that there has been a decline of more than 27.4 percent compared to the previous year, underscoring the cumulative impact of security concerns and natural disasters on religious tourism in the region.
In the year 2024, the number of annual pilgrims had crossed the figure of 94.84 lakh. The Pahalgam terrorist attack in April this year is also a major reason for the lack of devotees. 26 people were killed in the attack and security was tightened across the area.
On August 26, a landslide caused by incessant rains on the pilgrimage route near Katra killed 35 pilgrims and damaged an important route, due to which the authorities had to stop the pilgrimage for three weeks in August-September.
Officials said the prolonged closure of the route at a time when the number of pilgrims is traditionally high had a direct impact on the total number of pilgrims for the year. “The safety of the pilgrims is our top priority. The decision to postpone the yatra was taken based on a realistic assessment of the weather and route conditions,” a shrine board official said.
He said that despite the challenges, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has continued to upgrade the infrastructure including road maintenance, disaster preparedness measures and better monitoring. According to official data, the highest number of pilgrims came in April at which time 9,81,228 people visited, while the lowest, at 1,85,165 devotees, visited in September.
There were record rainfall and flood-like conditions in Jammu region in September. The number of pilgrims in March was 9,40,143, followed by June (9,26,263), July (6,77,652), January (5,69,164), August (5,33,756), November (4,23,553), May (4,13,365), October (3,84,952) and February (3,78,865). So far 4,71,396 pilgrims have visited in December.
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