Machail Mata yatra progressing smoothly in Kishtwar

Jammu, Aug 8 (PTI) The annual Machail Mata yatra in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district is picking up pace with over 30,000 devotees already paying obeisance at the 9,705-feet-high shrine, officials said on Tuesday.

With the partially-constructed Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) road en route now accessible, the devotees can trek on foot to the shrine, cutting travel time by about two hours and making the journey less fatiguing compared to the steep and challenging terrains, they said.

The 43-day yatra in the scenic Paddar valley of Kishtwar commenced on July 25 and is scheduled to conclude on September 5.

The footfall at the temple is likely to witness manifold increase with the arrival of holy “Charri Yatra” from Jammu to Machail on August 18.

“The yatra has been transformed into a more comfortable, enjoyable and safe journey for on-foot pilgrims with the opening of the PMGSY road by district administration Kishtwar on August 5,” an official said.

This year, the district administration led by Deputy Commissioner Devansh Yadav has taken far reaching measures to facilitate the devotees to make their yatra a lifetime memorable experience, he said.

These include the installation of a first-of-its-kind 30 KW hybrid solar power plant, a 4G Airtel tower, and electricity to Machail Village, easing the arduous spiritual journey of the devotees, the official said.

Additionally, facilities such as tent city at Machail, Yatri Bhawan, Sapphire guest house and luxury mushroom tents at base camp Gulabgarh have been arranged to accommodate and host the devotees during their pilgrimage, he said.

He said the Machail Mata yatra holds immense spiritual and cultural significance and remains a cherished place of pilgrimage for devotees across the country.

Describing the construction of PMGSY road as a “major milestone”, the official said the department concerned successfully cleared the challenging rocky stretch on Machail road in a short span of time.

“Road cutting in a crucial rocky stretch has resulted in achieving significant progress on this road which is now being used by pilgrims up to Hamouri village for on foot journey,” he said.

The pilgrims had to foot a distance of about 22 kilometres to reach the shrine but after the construction of the road, the travel time was shortened from 1.5 to 2 hours, the official said.

Additionally, the officials said the installation of railings by the Army on the Mov bridge has significantly enhanced the safety of pilgrims during their journey.