Prof K S Chandrasekar
India is considered as the sacred country with temples, mosques and churches. Ancient temples have been the major attraction for people all over the world since the Hindu faith has major interest among the world population. In fact Jammu is considered as the City of Temples. Worldwide, the pilgrims throng Vatican, Mecca and Prayagraj during the just concluded Maha Kumbh. Record number of around 63 Crores visited Praygraj to have the “holy snan”. This indicates to the fact that faith is one of the major areas on which tourism needs to cater along with the upcoming medical tourism. According to The Business Research Company, The religious tourism market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $174.98 billion in 2024 to $190.53 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.9%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to the rise of spiritual consumers, growing interest in religious heritage and pilgrimage sites, expansion of religious tourism infrastructure services, government initiatives, and promotional campaigns, and rising disposable income.
Pilgrimage involves travel in the name of religion, while for educational reasons, travellers are looking to learn from the experiences of diverse religious traditions, teachings, and practices at some of the important religious sites. They attend lectures or workshops with local religious figures at cultural and historical places they visit which requires structured tourism. Through pilgrimage tourism, those who travel may have spiritual encounters, religious convictions, or a quest for inner peace and enlightenment. In pilgrimage tourism, people are motivated by their religious beliefs, or to find inner peace and enlightenment. This also involves traveling to places and events that are of special meaning to individuals or groups for religious reasons. Pilgrimage tourism may take different forms: from pilgrimages to sacred sites; meditation retreats in monasteries; participation in religious festivals and celebrations; visits to the places where significant religious figures or events took place. The motivations of pilgrimage tourism are for personal growth and faith, while another is interested in discovering different religions’ traditions or nature’s harmony with sacred sites.
As per the Ministry of Tourism data, by 2028, the sector is expected to generate $59 billion in revenue while also creating millions of jobs by 2030. The government’s focus on developing religious sites is set to boost sectors such as infrastructure, hospitality, transportation, and tourism services. This is where the Government of India has created PRASAD scheme (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual Augmentation Drive). This scheme focuses on developing and identifying pilgrimage sites across India for enriching the religious tourism experience. It aims to integrate pilgrimage destinations in a prioritised, planned and sustainable manner to provide a complete religious tourism experience. The growth of domestic tourism hugely depends on pilgrimage tourism. In order to ensure that the potential of pilgrimage tourism is augmented, there is a need for holistic development of the selected pilgrimage destinations by the government along with the cooperation of other stakeholders. The scheme entails to complete the implementation of nearly 50 destinations and 20 heritage cities.
Maha kumbh has created records for a single congregation in the world. It is double the population of USA and has created 1.2 million jobs and added $36 billion to the economy of Uttar Pradesh. This celebration has resulted in 20-25 lakh pilgrims visiting Varanasi also per day. Some of the major festivals like Maha Shivrathri had seen double the visitors. The circuit of Praygraj, Varanasi and Ayodhya can create an excellent pilgrimage circuit.
As for Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, the major work was conducted at Hazratbal Shrine. This site was revamped with an initial investment of Rs.33 Crore and the original outlay was Rs.40 Crore. Infrastructure development and many agencies involved has given some thrust to the tourism at the shrine. It is close to Dal lake itself ensures more tourists are utilising the opportunity to visit the shrine. Similarly there are many sites which requires renovation and also creating better infrastructure like Aali Masjid at Eidgah, Jamia Masjid. Khanqah-e-Moula, Masjid Dastgeer Sahib, Shahi Masjid, and Masjid-i-Akhoon Mulla Shah in the Srinagar division. The developmental works can be undertaken to ensure that it attracts people. Similarly, in Jammu division, the major attraction is that of Shri Matha Vaishnodevi temple apart from temples in Jammu. The tourism department needs to create circular pilgrimage routes with adequate rail and road connectivity and the tourists need to be given a clear itinerary which requires more advertising.
“Paradise on Earth” needs to be promoted to generate more revenue to the government. One of the important aspects of tourism is that there is a need to ensure more air connectivity. In fact, Indigo has upgraded its aircraft from A320 to A321 to accommodate more passengers bound for Jammu and Srinagar from Delhi. Even though the number has been increased, the aircraft which flies more in J&K is operating at about 90% and at times all tickets are sold out. Most of the passengers are on tourism purposes and those coming to Jammu are enquiring more about reaching Katra.There needs to be a helicopter services from Jammu airport directly to Katra helipad. Dornier 228 with 17 seater or Saras MK II with 19 seater can be considered for which airstrip needs to be developed at Katra. In 2024, 94.83 lakh pilgrims visited the Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra. This was the second-highest number of visitors in a decade and is only going to increase over the years. Some of the modernisations need to be done to ensure seamless worshipping for visitors. Jammu and Kashmir can think of its own air services like JK Air which can be used for the pilgrimage circuits in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions wherein an itinerary can be developed connecting pilgrimage with sightseeing options. With the impending Vande Bharat train between Katra and Srinagar, there will be surge in the visitors to these sectors. There is also a need for air connectivity to some of the pilgrimage spots in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand. There can be an exclusive service between Katra and Amritsar. JK Transport with Punjab Roadways can plan one to one service luxury Volvo service between Katra and Amritsar and vice versa. Similarly JK Transport can connect between Katra and Shri Chakraraj Simhaeshwari temple, Zeashta Devi Shrine, Sri Shankaracharya Temple and other Hindu temples in Srinagar.
(The author is Vice Chancellor, Cluster University of Jammu)
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