The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a significant rise in pilgrim donations over the past five years, with contributions reaching Rs 171.90 crore in the financial year 2024-25 (up to January), compared to Rs 63.85 crore in 2020-21, according to data released by the temple board.
Alongside monetary offerings, gold and silver donations have also surged, with gold increasing from over 9 kg to 27.7 kg and silver from 753 kg to over 3,424 kg during the same period, as reported by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB).
The information was disclosed in response to an RTI query filed by Jammu-based activist Raman Sharma. The shrine board provided a breakdown of donations received over the years, revealing that Rs 63.85 crore was collected in 2020-21, followed by Rs 166.68 crore in 2021-22, Rs 223.12 crore in 2022-23, Rs 231.50 crore in 2023-24, and Rs 171.90 crore in 2024-25 (up to January).
The increase in donations corresponds with a rise in pilgrim footfall, which had significantly declined in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic when the shrine was closed for five months, marking the first such closure in its history. That year, the shrine recorded just 17.20 lakh visitors, the lowest in over three decades, before reopening on August 16, 2020.
Since the establishment of the shrine board in 1986 to oversee the temple’s management, annual pilgrim numbers have steadily grown, from 13.95 lakh in 1986 to an all-time high of 1.04 crore in 2012. More recently, the shrine recorded 55.88 lakh visitors in 2021, 91.25 lakh in 2022, 95.22 lakh in 2023, and 94.84 lakh in 2024.
Regarding jewellery donations, the board disclosed that 9.075 kg of gold was received in 2020-21, which increased to 26.351 kg in 2021-22, peaked at 33.258 kg in 2022-23, slightly declined to 23.477 kg in 2023-24, and rose again to 27.717 kg in 2024-25 (up to January).
Similarly, silver donations have seen a substantial jump, with 753.63 kg collected in 2020-21, 2,400.705 kg in 2021-22, 3,756.582 kg in 2022-23, 4,072.486 kg in 2023-24, and 3,424.538 kg in 2024-25 (up to January).
The board clarified that these metals are received in impure form, and their exact value cannot be determined until they undergo refining. Once purified and converted into gold and silver coins of .995 and .999 purity, they are made available for sale at souvenir shops within the shrine premises.
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