Additional passage at Mata Mansa Devi shrine to facilitate movement of devotees

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, March 17

In order to make it easier for devotees to move around during the nine day Navratra fair to be held at historic Mata Mansa Devi Temple, the Sri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board (SMMDSB) has constructed additional passage at the shrine taking their total to three.

More than nine lakh people from tricity and across the nation will visit the shrine to pay obeisance during the fair. It takes devotees more than four to five hours to pay obeisance as more than one lakh people visit the shrine daily.

Now, the SMMDSB has constructed another passage near the satsang hall, which will not only decongest stairs leading to the shrine, but also help devotees in approaching the temple in less time.

Giving details, SP Arora, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SMMDSB, said their main thrust was on providing more and better facilities to devotees, besides beautifying the temple complex.

He said the entry point near the new passage was constructed at a cost of Rs 40 lakh, which includes retaining wall and Naraini Aradhana Sthal.

The construction work was carried out by the Public Works Department and with the financial support of Punjab National Bank under its corporate social responsibility (CSR), he added.

The bifurcations of lines would be from the library of the shrine complex, he said.

“We have already started three days trial from today and are hopeful that the new project will be successful. Devotees will not be allowed to come out of the shrine from the entry points after paying obeisance. Separate routes for exit will be demarcated. No devotee will be allowed to enter shrine from the gate near the administrative block, which will be used only for the visit of the VVIPs. However, devotees will be allowed to move out of the shrine from the same route,” Arora added.

More than 9 lakh people paid obeisance at the shrine during the Navratra fair in April 2018, he said. A total of Rs 1.75 crore was donated by devotees, besides gold and silver weighting 60.740 gm and 11.368 kg, respectively, was offered during the fair last year.