Jammu, March 16 : Pilgrim donations at Jammu and Kashmir's Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine have increased to Rs 171.90 crore during the current financial year (2024-2025) from Rs 63.85 crore in 2020-21, according to shrine board officials.

Gold offerings at the shrine have also increased from over nine kgs to 27.7 kgs and silver from over 753 kgs to over 3,424 kgs during last five years.

In reply to an RTI application filed by Jammu-based activist Raman Sharma, the shrine board said an amount of Rs 63.85 crore was received as donation or offering in the FY 2020-21 followed by Rs 166.68 crore in FY 2021-22, Rs 223.12 crore in FY 2022-23, Rs 231.50 crore in FY 2023-24 and Rs 171.90 crore in FY 2024-25 (upto January this year).

Only 17.20 lakh pilgrims, the lowest in over three decades, visited the shrine atop the Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district in 2020 when the temple, for the first time in its history, remained closed for five months due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pilgrimage at the deity's shrine reopened on August 16, 2020.

From 13.95 lakh in 1986, when the shrine board took over the affairs of the shrine for better management, there has been a steady increase in pilgrim footfalls with each passing year, touching an all-time high of 1.04 crore in 2012 against 1.01 crore the previous year.

Pilgrims' arrival at the shrine was 55.88 lakh in 2021, 91.25 lakh in 2022, 95.22 lakh in 2023 and 94.84 lakh in 2024.

In response to the query about the total value of jewellery or ornaments like gold offered by the pilgrims at the shrine, the board said over 9.075 kgs gold was received in the FY 2020-21, 26.351 kgs in FY 2021-22, 33.258 kgs in FY 2022-23, 23.477 kgs in FY 2023-24 and 27.717 kgs in FY 2024-25 (up to January this year).

Similarly, 753.630 kgs silver was received in FY 2020-21, 2400.705 kgs in FY 2021-22, 3756.582 kgs FY 2022-23, 4072.486 kgs in FY 2023-24 and 3424.538 kgs in FY 2024-25 up to January this year.

The board said the metals are received in impure form and the value cannot be ascertained until refined. The yellow metal appearing like gold and the white metal appearing like silver after melting, assaying, refining and fabrication into coins of .995 and .999 purity and put for sale at the souvenir shops.

It must be mentioned that there was a public outrage in the shrine's base town Katra over the proposed ropeway project from Katra to the shrine.

The ropeway project, estimated to cost Rs 250 crore was to connect Tarakote Marg (near the Katra base camp) to Sanjichhat, a key point on the 12-kilometre trek to the Vaishno Devi shrine.

The ropeway was expected to transport 1,000 passengers per hour and reduce travel time, making the journey more accessible for devotees.

The project aimed to be operational by December 2026. Locals in Katra, including pithuwallas (porters), pony-wallas, palanquin owners, shopkeepers, and hoteliers, protested against the project fearing it would negatively impact their livelihoods.

They argued the ropeway would displace traditional modes of transportation and reduce business opportunities for locals.

Some estimates suggest the project could affect over 60,000 families.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration held talks with the protesters, released arrested protesters and suspended work on the project.

/IANS