States » NorthPosted at: Oct 22 2026 6:56PM


UP’s Shakti Tourism sees widened reach during Sharadiya Navratri

Lucknow, Oct 22 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh’s Shakti tourism story this Sharadiya Navratri extends well beyond the crowds at Vindhyachal, as four Devi shrines in Banda, Lucknow, Prayagraj and Balrampur together reported around 28 lakh visitors, highlighting the scale of pilgrimage activity across the state’s wider network of Goddess temples.
The combined figure, based on temple-level estimates, includes around 18 lakh visits to Banda’s Vindhyavasini Dham and seven lakh to Lucknow’s Badi Kali Ji Temple. Prayagraj’s Alopi Devi Temple reported more than 1.60 lakh visits, while Balrampur’s Jua Devi Temple received over 90,000.
The numbers offer a striking snapshot of demand at destinations with a strong regional following. At Jua Devi Temple, also known as Jwala Devi Temple, this Navratri’s footfall alone exceeded 90,000, compared with around 1.10 lakh visits during the whole of 2025. Situated at Srinagar Bazaar in Jaitpur, Utraula, the temple had recorded approximately 93,000 visits in 2023.
Banda’s Vindhyavasini Dham reported Navratri footfall approximately 2.5 times its 2010 level. At Alopi Devi Temple, the festival turnout follows an increase in annual visits from 6.25 lakh in 2024 to 11.10 lakh in 2025.
Mirzapur’s Maa Vindhyavasini Dham, meanwhile, continued to attract the largest crowds among these destinations. Shri Vindhya Panda Samaj president Pankaj Dwivedi said more than 30 lakh visits were recorded this Navratri, against approximately 20 to 22 lakh last year. The nearby Ashtabhuja Devi and Kali Khoh temples remain important stops for devotees undertaking the traditional pilgrimage.
UP Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said the government’s development programme sought to improve the pilgrimage experience across both prominent dhams and other important religious destinations.
“Preserving religious sites, developing them and providing better facilities to devotees are priorities for the state government. Since 2017, our efforts have focused on strengthening facilities at Devi temples and promoting religious tourism across Uttar Pradesh,” Singh said.
The wider development effort includes 22 major projects worth approximately Rs 83 crore at 20 Devi destinations across 19 districts. These seek to expand tourism facilities and bring temples in different parts of the state into the development programme.
At Lucknow’s Badi Kali Ji Temple, manager Raj Singh said more than Rs 227.83 lakh had been sanctioned for tourism development. The proposed improvements are intended to strengthen facilities at a temple that received around seven lakh visitors during this Navratri. UNI MBD NST
Tags: #UP’s Shakti Tourism sees widened reach during Sharadiya Navratri
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