Over 10 lakh devotees visited seven shaktipeeths and temples across Himachal Pradesh during Navratri, from October 11 to 19.
During the nine-day festivities, a total of 10,25,726 pilgrims and 1,04,520 vehicles were recorded at the seven major temples.
Shri Naina Devi Ji in Bilaspur district witnessed the highest footfall, with 3,95,226 devotees, followed by Shri Jawalamukhi Ji in Kangra, which received around 1,80,000 devotees.
Similarly, around 1,39,000 devotees visited Shri Chintpurni Ji in Una, 1,06,000 visited Shri Bala Sundri Ji at Trilokpur in Sirmaur, 70,500 visited Shri Chamunda Devi Ji in Kangra, 69,400 visited Shri Brajeshwari Devi Ji in Kangra, and 65,000 visited Shri Baglamukhi Ji in Kangra.
Appreciating the police for ensuring safe, peaceful and smooth arrangements during the festival, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that ensuring the safety and convenience of lakhs of pilgrims visiting Himachal Pradesh’s sacred shrines was an important responsibility of the state government.
He commended the coordinated efforts of the police, district administrations, temple trusts, home guards and other agencies in facilitating a pleasant and hassle-free pilgrimage experience.
“Managing such an enormous influx of devotees, particularly at temples situated in hilly terrain with narrow approach roads and limited parking facilities, required meticulous planning and continuous supervision.
Himachal Pradesh Police made elaborate arrangements for crowd management, traffic regulation, parking, queue management and public safety, enabling devotees to undertake their pilgrimage peacefully and conveniently,” he said.
The Chief Minister also appreciated the police personnel who remained on duty for long hours to ensure that devotees could offer prayers without avoidable inconvenience. He acknowledged the cooperation extended by temple authorities, volunteers, local residents and pilgrims.
He also appealed to citizens and visitors to use ERSS-112, the round-the-clock emergency helpline, whenever police, fire or ambulance assistance was required.
Director General of Police (DGP), Himachal Pradesh, Ashok Tewari, also commended the district police chiefs, supervisory officers and personnel deployed during Navratri. He reiterated the commitment of the Himachal Pradesh Police to ensuring the safety and convenience of every pilgrim and tourist visiting the state.
