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Jan 2005
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Pilgrims in Katra stranded in heavy snowfall

     Katra: Hundreds of pilgrims on their way back from the Vaishno Devi shrine got stranded by heavy snowfall on Monday. The pilgrims are waiting at the base camp at Katra town for the weather to improve. The shopkeepers are having a roaring business as the number of spiritual tourists has increased after the authorities put a ban on sale of liquor and meat in the town. "It is a good decision. Religious places should not allow the consumption of meat and wine because this hurts the sentiments of the pilgrims," said Dinesh Sharma,a shopkeeper. The ban has been imposed to ensure sanctity of the holy town where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit every year to pay obeisance to the Goddess. Located at a height of 5,200 feet in the Himalayas, about 60 km north of Jammu, the shrine is one of the most revered pilgrimage sites for the Hindus. More than six million devotees visit the shrine every year and the pilgrimage involves a trek of 11 km from Katra, which is the base camp.
- Jan 31, 2005

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