Landslide again on the way to Vaishno Devi temple, suspended for 9 days, Katra Base Camp deserted

The pilgrimage of Mata Vaishno Devi temple located on the Trikuta hills of Jammu is also postponed on Wednesday (September 3). Meanwhile, landslide occurred in the summer point on the track of going to the temple. However, no pilgrims were present at the time of the incident, so no life was damaged nor any injured.

In view of landslides and heavy rains on Mata Vaishno Devi temple route located in Reasi district, arrangements have also been vacated by precautionary officials.

Katra base camp deserted

The Katra base camp appears to be completely deserted in the absence of devotees due to the pilgrimage of Vaishno Devi temple being suspended.

The Meteorological Department said on Wednesday (3 September) that the base camp of Vaishno Devi temple recorded more than 200 mm of rain during the last 24 hours, which is the highest in Jammu region.

A big accident took place on 26 August

The pilgrimage of Vaishno Devi was stopped on 26 August. However, the temple is open and its priests are doing prayers and rituals daily. On August 26, there was a big landslide due to rain on the old route near Ardhkunwari. In this accident, 34 devotees were killed and 20 others were injured.

Some pilgrims, who have reached Katra due to the postponement of the pilgrimage, are offering prayers at ‘Darshani Deodhi’ (the main entrance of the temple). Pramod, a devotee from Nagpur in Maharashtra, said in a conversation with the news agency PTI, “I had booked aircraft, train and hotel tickets about three months ago to offer prayers in the temple. But the pilgrimage is postponed, so I am offering prayers here (Darshani Deodhi) before returning home.

When will the journey start?

Due to continuous rains, the water level in rivers and drains, Banganga river has increased. Banganga passes through Jammu. Officials said that the decision to resume the yatra would be taken when the situation will improve and the barrier for the devotees on the 12 -km long double route to this temple on the hill would be removed.

This is the longest time ever since the Kovid-19 sanctions when the journey has been suspended. In the year 2024, about 95 lakh devotees worshiped Mata Vaishno Devi. That is, on average 26,027 per day. Devotees donated Rs 172 crore in FY 2024-25 (till January).