 Sandeep Bhat
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 20: With just two days left for the commencement of this year’s Navratras, uncertainty looms large over the conduct of the annual Navratra Festival at Katra as authorities have yet to announce a final decision.
The silence of the Tourism Department and the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has raised doubts about whether the festival, traditionally held with much fanfare, will take place this year.
The hesitation stems from the recent natural disaster and incessant rains that lashed Jammu and Kashmir, causing widespread damage and forcing a 23-day halt in the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage. Given the disruption, officials are reportedly finding it difficult to organize the festival at such short notice.
The festival, first launched by the Tourism Department in 1996, has since become an annual highlight, attracting devotees and tourists alike. However, this year’s devastation has left organizers struggling to decide whether to go ahead with the celebrations.
If cancelled, this will mark the fourth disruption in the festival’s history. Earlier, it was either cancelled or observed in a subdued manner due to the 2014 Kashmir floods, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the Assembly elections in 2024. Now, heavy rains and landslides are being cited as the main reasons for the likely cancellation in 2025.
Despite the uncertainty, some preparatory work continues in Katra, where welcome gates have been installed at intersections and buildings are being decorated with flowers brought from within the country and abroad. However, organizers admit that the usual vibrancy and grandeur of the festival are likely to be missing this year.
“Only two days are left. Even if the government clears the festival now, organizing it on a large scale is nearly impossible,” said an organizer.
Sources said senior officials of the Tourism Department and the Shrine Board are yet to make an official announcement, leaving devotees, traders, and locals in suspense.
For now, the fate of the Navratra Festival 2025 hangs in the balance, with the final word resting on whether authorities choose tradition over caution in the aftermath of a devastating natural calamity. |
