Devotees visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine will now receive a plant as a “prasad,” according to the shrine board. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) has introduced a new initiative that provides pilgrims with plants from a newly established nursery named ‘Vaishnavi Vatika.’ This nursery was inaugurated by the Board's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Anshul Garg, in Katra, the base camp for the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, coinciding with the celebration of World Environment Day.
Located in the Trikuta hills of Reasi district, the Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine is one of the most venerated pilgrimage sites in Jammu and Kashmir, drawing close to one crore devotees each year. The introduction of this green initiative underscores the shrine board's commitment to environmental conservation and adds a unique, eco-friendly dimension to the spiritual journey of the pilgrims.
Shrine board commitment to ecological preservation
Garg highlighted the board's ongoing commitment to ecological preservation, including water conservation, afforestation, and water treatment efforts. "On this World Environment Day, I congratulate everyone. The board has consistently worked to protect the environment, and this new initiative is another step in that direction. We are providing plants to devotees as prasad from our nursery," Garg told the media.
Devotee receives 'plant' as prasad
The newly launched nursery, featuring 40 species of plants, aims to promote environmental awareness among pilgrims. He added that these plants would be available to pilgrims at nominal prices, with plans to expand the project based on its reception. Garg also pointed towards the intention to extend this initiative to the Amarnath pilgrimage as well. "We are working to make these prasad plants available at Vaishnavi Dham and through counters in Jammu for Amarnath yatra pilgrims," he stated. Nandan Kumar, a devotee from Pune, shared his joy, saying, "I am very happy to receive a plant as prasad. It is a wonderful initiative and a special prasad from Mata.
(With inputs from PTI)
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