Jammu:
Over 1.25 lakh devotees from various parts of the country and outside thronged the cave shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi during the Navratra festivals till Thursday, shrine board officials said.
"Over 1.25 lakh devotees paid obeisance at the Vaishnodevi cave shrine during Navratri which began on September 25," said Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, Chief Executive Officer, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), Katra.
Long queues were seen outside the cave shrine on Thursday, the occasion of 'Ashtami', the eighth day of the nine-day festival dedicated to Hindu goddess Durga.
"It is believed that the devotees who pray and fast during the auspicious occasion are blessed by the divine mother," Raj Kumar, a devotees from Gandhi Nagar, said.