Vaishno Devi Temple Donations: Holy Shrine Received 1,800 Kgs of Gold & Rs 2,000 Crore Cash in The Last 20 Years

Jammu: When it comes to religious donations, we know how big the hearts of Indians are. In the name of faith, huge donations are made in Indian temples everyday and Jammu’s Vaishno Devi Temple is a prime example of it. According to a report by The Times of India, the Hindu shrine received 1,800 kgs of gold, over 4,700 kgs of silver and a whopping Rs 2,000 crore cash from devotees in the last two decades. The revelation comes after an RTI was filed by Kumaon-based activist Hemant Gauniya.

“I wanted to know how much donation the temple has received over the years. Even though lakhs of pilgrims visit the temple every year, I did not expect the cash amount as well as gold and silver donations to be this high,” Gauniya told TOI.

The RTI also revealed that around 50 lakh people visited the temple in 2000, while 80 lakh visited the temple in both 2018 and 2019. The number further rose to over 1 crore in 2011 and 2012- the highest tourist footfall in the last 20 year. However, due to coronavirus pandemic, only around 17 lakh people visited the temple in 2020.

“The temple had the highest tourist footfall in 2011 and 2012 when over a crore people visited it but the pandemic has badly affected the pilgrimage. Only 17 lakh people visited the shrine last year which affected the local economy that depends almost entirely on tourism,” Gauniya said.

About the temple

A popular and important Hindu shrine dedicated to Vaishno Devi, the temple is located in Katra at the Trikuta Mountains in Jammu. The temple is one of the 108 Shakti Peethas dedicated to Goddess Durga, who is worshipped as Vaishno Devi, and one of the most visited pilgrimage centers of India. Thousands of devotees visit this shrine every year after undertaking a trek of about 12 km from the base camp in Katra to reach the main Vaishno Devi temple.

The pilgrimage at the shrine resumed on August 16, 2020 after remaining suspended following a coronavirus-induced lockdown in March 2020. Later, it was announced that from February 1, 25,000 pilgrims will be allowed at the famous shrine per day.