Jammu, October 30, 2025 – The sacred steps to Mata Vaishno Devi, a beacon for millions, are feeling unusually quiet this year, with pilgrim numbers plunging by 20 lakh in the first 10 months of 2025 compared to 2024’s record highs. Only 60 lakh devotees visited Katra, the base camp, from January to October, down from 82 lakh last year, according to data from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB). This 24% decline marks the sharpest drop in a decade, pinning the blame on a perfect storm: the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26, Operation Sindoor’s May 7 retaliatory strikes, relentless heavy rains and landslides, tragic mishaps on the pilgrimage route, damaged infrastructure, and train suspensions that choked access.
The Pahalgam attack, claimed by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and killing mostly tourists, sent shockwaves through the region, triggering a 50% tourism slump in Kashmir and ripple effects in Jammu. SMVDSB CEO Anshul Garg noted in a September 2025 report: “Security fears led to 62% cancellations for May-December 2025 trips, with Vaishno Devi seeing immediate fallout.” Operation Sindoor, India’s precision strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK killing 70 militants, escalated tensions, suspending helicopter services for seven days and halting flights at 32 airports until May 15, 2025. Monsoons compounded the chaos: August’s 380 mm rains caused landslides on the 12-km yatra route, closing it for 22 days and damaging 10 bridges, while NH-44 washouts stranded 5,000 pilgrims.
The shrine, J&K’s economic powerhouse, sustains 60,000 direct jobs in Katra – hoteliers, pony operators, shopkeepers – and contributes Rs 1,000 crore annually to the local economy, per SMVDSB’s 2024 figures. The 2025 dip, the second-lowest footfall since 2015’s 50 lakh, threatens livelihoods, with Katra Hotels Association reporting 40% cancellations post-Pahalgam. In 2024, 94.83 lakh pilgrims made it the second-highest year in a decade, but 2025’s tally, including 5.11 lakh Amarnath yatris (down 20%), underscores the fragility. The board, chaired by LG Manoj Sinha, has ramped up security – 500 extra CCTV cameras and 200 CRPF personnel since April – and resumed helicopters in May 2025, but footfall lingers 20% below pre-attack levels.