Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday visited the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district and offered prayers, a Lok Bhavan spokesperson said.
The visit by the LG, who is also the chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, comes a day after a senior police officer conducted a comprehensive security review at the shrine in the aftermath of recent terror attacks.
Pilgrim footfall at the shrine has witnessed a significant increase, with 83.20 lakh devotees visiting in the first 10 months of this year (January-October), already surpassing the 69.78 lakh count recorded during the entire year of 2025.
The figure is also fast approaching the 94.84 lakh figure recorded during the whole of 2024.
"Lt Governor Manoj Sinha visited the holy shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji and offered his obeisance. He prayed for peace, good health and prosperity for all," the statement said.
On Friday, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Udhampur-Reasi Range) Swarn Singh Kotwal, along with Senior Superintendent of Police (Reasi) Mukund Tibrewal, visited Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the shrine, and assessed the overall security preparedness before undertaking an extensive on-foot inspection of the twin yatra tracks from Katra to Bhawan.On November 11, three CRPF personnel were injured in a terror attack on their post in south Kashmir's Kulgam district, while the next day, bullet-riddled bodies of two special police officers were recovered from the remote Dachhan forest area of Kishtwar district.