LG Manoj Sinha performs Pratham Pooja of Pracheen Marg Mata Vaishno Devi Ji Yatra

JAMMU March 17: Lieutenant Governor Mr Manoj Sinha today performed Pratham Puja of the Pracheen Marg Mata Vaishno Deviji Yatra, which will formally commence on March 26 from the old heritage route of Kol Kandoli to Oli Temple.

On this auspicious occasion, a delegation of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji Pracheen Marg Shrine Sanstha, led by senior BJP leader Mr Devender Singh Rana was present.

The Lieutenant Governor presented Mata Ki Chuni to the priest amid Mantra Ucharan for being offered in the temple on the commencement of the yatra.

The delegation briefed him about the significance and historical perspective of the ancient route.

The Sanstha has been organizing the annual yatra on the Pracheen Marg and is working for reviving and promoting this serene and spiritually traditional route to add to the glory of the age-old yatra to the revered cave shrine on Trikuta Hills.

To achieve this objective, the Jammu Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Jammu had formulated a brochure which spells out broad contours of the revival project of the ancient route. As part of this initiative, the renovation of the Oli Temple at Bamyal in Nagrota had been undertaken two years ago under the aegis of INTACH. The objective of the revival of the ancient route, blessed with most revered temples and worship places, is to connect the posterity with their spiritual and cultural moorings.

The heritage route, passes through Jagdamba Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple – Jagti, Durga Mata Temple – Pangali, Shiv Temple – Thandapani – Drabi, Shiv Shakti Temple, Raja Mandleek Temple-  and Raja Nowalgarh Temple – Marh, Drabi,  Kali Mata Temple – Gundla Talab, Ram Darbar, Shiv Temple- Bamyal and Oli Temple Chhapanoo-Bamyal before reaching the sanctum sanctorum of the Bhavan of Mata Rani on Trikuta Hills.

The delegation also informed the Lieutenant Governor that All the heritage components along the route were constructed and developed by the then devotees, who used to visit the holy shrine of Shri Mata Vaishni Devi Ji on foot via this track. Most of the temples and other worship places have been constructed from 1860 onwards.

The delegation requested the Lieutenant Governor for upgradation and maintenance of Jagati to Bamyal road for smooth use of the commuters and the pilgrims.

Mr Devender Rana was accompanied by Mr  S M Sahni , Convenor INTACH Jammu Chapter, Randeep Singh, Harbans Sharma, Ghulam Mustafa Sarpanch Shiba, Jagdish Raj General Secretary, Kartar Chand,Madan Lal Ji, Sukhdev Singh Sarpanch Kanjali, Pandit Harish Kumar ,Pandit Sanjay Kumar, Pandit Vidya Sagar, Pandit Sanjau Kumar , Ashok Thakur VHP Nagrota, Nazir Ahmed, Zamayat Ali, Arjun Sharma along with others members of the community.