{"id":35112,"date":"2026-01-15T05:54:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T05:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jammubulletin.com\/site\/?p=35112"},"modified":"2026-01-15T05:54:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T05:54:42","slug":"smvdsb-reopens-natural-cave-for-devotees-on-makar-sankranti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jammubulletin.com\/site\/smvdsb-reopens-natural-cave-for-devotees-on-makar-sankranti\/","title":{"rendered":"SMVDSB reopens natural cave for devotees on Makar Sankranti"},"content":{"rendered":"

Katra, Jan 14: On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine Board (SMVDSB) reopened the revered historic natural cave at the holy Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji.
\nThe reopening was marked by special rituals and prayers, accompanied by Vedic chanting. The timing of this sacred event on Makar Sankranti holds added significance, as the festival symbolizes new beginnings and spiritual elevation.The Natural Cave, which remains closed for most of the year due to heavy pilgrim inflow, is made accessible during the months of January and February, when footfall is comparatively lower. This arrangement offers devotees a rare opportunity to experience darshan in its pristine form, allowing a deeper connection with the shrine\u2019s timeless sanctity. During the remaining months, pilgrims access the sanctum sanctorum through the newly constructed caves.
\nThe reopening of the old cave reflects the shrine\u2019s unwavering commitment, under the chairmanship of Manoj Sinha, Lt. Governor of JK-UT, to preserving its spiritual heritage while safeguarding the traditions that make it one of India\u2019s most revered spiritual destinations. The Shrine Board will actively encourage more devotees to undertake the pilgrimage through the Old Cave, while ensuring strict adherence to permissible crowd capacity limits and maintaining orderly pilgrim movement.
\nThe Chief Executive Officer, SMVDSB highlighted that careful measures have been implemented to manage crowd flow and prevent congestion along the route, while special provisions have been introduced to assist elderly and differently-abled pilgrims.
\nIt is noteworthy that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine is witnessing a significant increase in pilgrim footfall compared to the corresponding period last year. During the first 13 days of 2026, around 3,05,217 pilgrims paid obeisance at the Holy Shrine, as against 2,68,761 pilgrims during the same period last year. On an average, around 20000 to 25000 pilgrims are visiting the Holy Shrine daily.
\nPresent on the occasion of the reopening were senior officers, including the Addl. Chief Executive Officer, SMVDSB; the Sub-Divisional Magistrate; and the Tehsildar Bhawan, along with Pujaris and a large gathering of pilgrims.<\/p>\n

\"SMVDSB
SMVDSB reopens natural cave for devotees on Makar Sankranti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Katra, Jan 14: On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine Board (SMVDSB) reopened the revered historic natural cave at the holy Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji. The reopening was marked by special rituals and prayers, accompanied by Vedic chanting. The timing of this sacred event on Makar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,15,89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-header","category-jammu-and-kashmir","category-national"],"gutentor_comment":0,"yoast_head":"\nSMVDSB reopens natural cave for devotees on Makar Sankranti<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine Board (SMVDSB) reopened the revered historic natural cave\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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