Devotees visiting Vaishno Devi shrine to get plants as 'prasad'

Jammu: Devotees visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine will now get a plant as a “prasad”, the shrine board said on Wednesday.

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) launched a new initiative under which they will offer plants to pilgrims from a newly established nursery ‘Vaishnavi Vatika’.

The nursery was launched by Board’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anshul Garg in Katra, the base camp of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, on the occasion of the World Environment Day.

Situated in the Trikuta hills of Reasi district, the Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine is one of the most revered sites in Jammu and Kashmir, attracting nearly one crore devotees annually.

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 reporters.

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.”