JAMMU : Like other parts of the country, the celebrations of nine- day long Navratra festival started all over J&K today and there was a heavy rush of pilgrims in the temples from early this morning to pay obeisance to Goddess Durga.
The Navratra, which is an annual Hindu festival observed in honour of the Goddess Durga an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme Goddess spans over nine nights twice a year first in the month of Chaitra (March -April) and then in the month of Ashvin (September-October).
In  Jammu rush of devotees started from early in the morning at the Bawewali Mata temple near here. There was a heavy rush of devotees in the morning and later in the evening at this shrine. The devotees were waiting in long queues in front of temple for darshan both in the morning and evening hours.
As per reports about 5000 devotees performed darshan at the shrine on the first day of Navratra today.
There was also heavy rush of pilgrims in various temples of Goddess Durga in Kathua and Samba district from early this morning. The devotees visited the holy temples of Sukrala Mata and Sundrikota temple in Billawar tehsil, Jandi Mata temple in Hiranagar, Sher Kotla, Sundri Mata in Nagri Parole, Ashapurni and Jasrota temple in Kathua district. As per reports about 9000 devotees paid obeisance in these temples on the first day of Navratra today.
Reports said there was a heavy rush at the Chichi Mata temple situated on Jammu Pathankot National Highway in Samba district. Besides, the devotees from Jammu region hundreds of devotees on way to Mata Vaishno Devi also visited the holy Chichi Mata temple enroute and paid their obeisance to Goddess there. Reports said about 5000 devotees performed darshan in this temple on first Navratra today.
Heavy rush of devotees was seen at Kandoli Mata temple in Nagrota where besides the local devotees the hundreds of pilgrims on way to Mata Vishno Devi also paid obeisance in this holy temple.
As per reports the devotees also visited the holy temples of Mata Kheer Bhawani Tulmulla in Ganderbal district of Central Kashmir, Mata Durga temple at Hariparvat, Srinagar, Jeshta Devi temple Srinagar, Temples at Nagbal Anantnag, Mata Kheerbhawani temple at Tikker, Kupwara and Shailputri temple in Baramulla, Kheerbhawani temple in Manzgam, Kulgam.
All the temples of Mata were decorated fully with flowers and welcome gates on the occasion.
Besides, the devotees held special Pooja in their residential houses and sowed the sacred sakh to worship Goddess Durga in its nine manifestations during nine days of Navratra. After the ninth day with the culmination of festival the Sakh will be immersed in rivers in a traditional way.
