Las Lajas Sanctuary in the Colombian Andes draws more than 750,000 tourists annually

The Las Lajas Sanctuary built between 1916 and 1949 is a church located at an altitude of 2900 metres in the Colombian Andes. It is a major tourist attraction with more than 750,000 people visiting the church annually. About 120,000 pilgrims arrive during Holy Week.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 19 January 2017.

This neo-Gothic basilica is believed to be the world's most beautiful church and is located on the edge of the Guaitara River canyon between the cities of Ipiales and Potosi in the southwestern province of Narino. It is less than 100-Km from the border with Ecuador and is dedicated Our Lady of the Rosary of Las Lajas.
Pilgrims arrive at the church every day to fulfill the vows made to the virgin. And, they are joined by scores of tourists who arrive to view the monumental architecture of the church.
The Trade, Industry and Tourism Ministry has, recently, added the Las Lajas Sanctuary to the list of attractions on the Corredor Turistico del Sur, one of 12 tourist routes designed by the government to boost tourism in the region.


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Worms and insects feast on 'laddu prasadam' in Kanaka Durga temple - 50000 laddus destroyed

It came as a shock to pilgrims visiting the Kanaka Durga temple atop the Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada when they received 'laddu prasadam' from the temple staff - the laddus were full of worms and insects. Food safety officials have sealed the room where the laddus were stored and have sent samples to the state food laboratory for toxin analysis.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 3 October 2016.

The Dasara festival has started at the Kanaka Durga temple and, this year the temple will celebrate the festival for 11 days instead of the usual 10 days due to variation in the almanac. Vijayawada, incidentally, hosts the biggest Dasara celebrations down the Vindhyas and nearly one lakh pilgrims visit the temple daily during the festivities.
Temple authorities have ordered officials to destroy the 50,000 and odd laddus, which developed fungus and mold. This is the largest laddu stock in a temple in AP to have turned stale. On a number of earlier occasions, hundreds of laddus were destroyed by TTD authorities in Tirupati following development of fungus.
The kitchen officials have explained away the matter by saying that flies and cockroaches had entered the storeroom due to overnight heavy rain.


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Boost to religious tourism - 2.3-Km permanent bridge planned from Beyt Dwarka to Okha mainland

The island of Beyt Dwarka is of religious significance because it is believed to have been the place of Lord Krishna and relics of temples have been found in the nearby seabed. It is located near Okha port and is, at preset, inaccessible by road. The only mode of transportation for pilgrims is the ferry service that is operated by Gujarat Maritime Board but it is not available after sundown.
Hence, the government plans to build a 2.3km permanent bridge between Okha in Gujarat and Beyt Island. It is believed to be the seat of Lord Krishna's kingdom and palace and is visited by 20-30 lakh pilgrims every year.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 17 July 2016.

The Gujarat government had decided to connect the island of Beyt Dwarka with the mainland by building a bridge at a cost of around Rs 350 crore. The highways ministry had given in-principle approval to convert the existing state highway connecting Okha into a national highway and a joint plan is now being worked out to improve connectivity between Beyt Dwarka and the mainland.
Besides promoting pilgrimage and tourism, the proposed bridge will also cater to the population of about 10,000 people who live on Beyt Island. The bridge's alignment will take ito consideration the existing eco-sensitive zone, marine national park and marine sanctuaries. The bridge would be cable-stayed and designs are being worked out to make it a "signature" bridge in view of the importance from the point of view of religious tourism.


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Ice lingam of Amarnath cave has melted much before time - thousands of pilgrims disappointed

The journey to the cave temple in Amarnath to get a darshan of the ice lingam of Lord Shivais an annual event - it starts on July 02 and is supposed to conclude on August 18, the day of Raksha Bandhan. But, this year, the huge lingam has melted away much before time, 34 days before the end. This has come as a heartbreak for the Amarnath pilgrims who have yet to get a darshan. This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 15 July 2016.

As it is, this year's yatra was badly affected because of disturbances in the Kashmir valley. The annual Amarnath Yatra had already seen nearly 1,45,000 pilgrims having 'Darshan' of the deity inside the famous cave shrine situated 3,888 metres above the sea level. However, the melting of the ice linga comes as a huge setback to those pilgrims who are still waiting to get the darshan. This is not the first time it has happened and the reason is attributable to the rise in temperature of the surroundings due to assemblage of so many people, burning of joss sticks, arrival of people by choppers etecetera.


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48-day-long Amarnath Yatra begins - will continue till August 18

The 48-day long annual Amarnath yatra has begun and will continue till August 18 through the two routes of Baltal and Pahalgam. There is complete and tight security arrangements for the over 9,000 pilgrims who have set off from base camps in Ganderbal and Anantnag districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 2 July 2016.

Out of 7,500 pilgrims who have assembled at the Baltal base camp (Ganderbal), 4000 had already crossed the Dumail gate to begin the 14-Km long trek to the Cave Shrine. By 10 am, the remaining 3,500 pilgrims had also crossed the gate towards the Cave Shrine. In addition, from Nunwan base camp (in Pahalgam in Anantnag), another 1,600 yatris had crossed Chandanwari towards the Cave Shrine.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh would also visit the Amarnath Cave Shrine to participate in the special puja that heralds the beginning of the annual yatra. They will have `Darshan` of the ice stalagmite inside the cave which is revered as a `Shiva Linga` by the devotees. It is believed that the Shiva Linga grows and shrinks with the phases of the moon and attains its height during the summer festival.
Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has advised the pilgrims to carry sufficient woollen clothes, umbrella, raincoat, and waterproof shoes because the weather in the Yatra area is unpredictable. Pilgrims are also advised to carry their identity cards and Yatra permit, and travel in a group. Prepaid SIM cards from other states would not work in Jammu and Kashmir and the Yatra route. Hence, the pilgrims can purchase pre-activated SIM cards at the base camps of Baltal and Nunwan. The SASB has also advised pilgrims to ensure that pollution and disturbing the environment is not done.


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Tourism officials fear that Char Dham Yatra could see less footfalls because of forest fires

Tourism officials of of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam are a worried lot. They had been expecting increased footfall of pilgrims and devotees for Char Dham yatra but the adverse publicity generated as a result of forest fires in Uttarakhand could take its toll on religious tourism this year. This is more so because because this was the year they were expecting a huge footfall since the 2013 flash floods.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 1 May 2016.

The number of tourists for the Char Dham Yatra had taken a beating after the flash floods of 2013 in Uttarakhand. It resulted in a dip in the number of pilgrims visiting the four shrines in the state. And, the matter has been confounded by the nature of publicity of the forest fires in the state have received at the national level.
Consequently, tourists could get a wrong impression that the fire is everywhere and the state is unsafe for travel. Actually, the fire is raging in some selected pockets and, heavy manpower has been deployed to control the blaze.There are also prediction of rainfall and the officials hope that the situation will improve before the yatra finally commences on May 9.


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