- By Abhishek Sheoran
- Wed, 01 Jan 2025 07:59 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
On the occasion of the New Year, a large number of devotees have reached Katra to seek the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi, with ‘Jai Mata Di’ chants echoing all around. The queue of devotees at the Darshan Dyoadhi is one kilometre long, and at the temple building, the line stretches for one and a half kilometres. By 10 pm on Tuesday, 41,445 devotees had already left for the Vaishno Devi shrine.
On the last day of the year, a flood of devotees gathered in Ayodhya for the darshan of Ram Lalla and in Vrindavan for the darshan of Banke Bihari. Special arrangements have been made at both places, anticipating a large crowd on the first day of the year as well. Not only have additional lanes been added on the Ram Janmabhoomi Path, but devotees will now proceed in two lines beyond the temple's Lion Gate. At the same time, a one-kilometre-long queue formed outside the Banke Bihari temple on Tuesday.
Throughout the day, there was jostling in the crowd. Under the pressure of the crowd, a female devotee’s health deteriorated. By Wednesday, more than two lakh devotees had arrived for the first darshan of the year. In Himachal Pradesh, around 45,000 vehicles and 2.5 lakh tourists celebrated the New Year.
Tourists welcomed the New Year at famous destinations like Shimla, Manali, Kasauli, Dharamshala, McLeodganj and Chail. All hotels in Kufri, Narkanda, Naldehra and Mashobra in the district were full. Other areas like Dharamshala, Chamba and Khajiar also saw large crowds of tourists. Due to the passing of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Winter Carnival in Shimla was postponed, and no events took place at The Ridge. However, tourists continued to celebrate the New Year throughout the night.
On the last day of the year, thousands of devotees visited temples across Himachal Pradesh, including Jakhoo Temple and Tara Devi in Shimla, and offered prayers for happiness in the New Year. A similar scene was witnessed in Uttarakhand's tourist destinations.
Around 60,000 tourists visited Nainital, Ramnagar, Kainchi Dham and Munsiyari. Hotels in Mussoorie, Auli, Kedarkantha, Dhanolti and Lansdowne were fully booked. In Jammu and Kashmir, the Winter Carnival in Pahalgam will begin on January 2, showcasing the region's culture and traditions.
