Shimla, Oct 3 (IANS): Crowds of devotees assembled in temples across Himachal Pradesh on Thursday and offered prayers on the first day of the nine-day Navratri festival, considered an auspicious period by Hindus.

One of the busiest shrines, the hilltop Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district saw a majority of pilgrims from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi.

The popular shrines of Chintpurni in Una district and Jwalaji and Brajeshwari Devi temples in Kangra district too witnessed a rush.

“We are expecting a daily arrival of 30,000 to 35,000 devotees during the Navratras,” an official at the Naina Devi shrine told IANS.

He said the temple would be closed only for two hours a day during Navratras.

Security has been beefed up and closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed to manage the crowd in all the prominent shrines, a senior police official told IANS.

Shardiya Navratri will culminate with the celebration of Dussehra on October 12.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu said that virtual ‘puja’ and live ‘darshans’ have emerged as new-age practices and to strengthen the bond between the devotees and the Shaktipeeths.

He said online platforms have been developed aiming to offer services like religious offerings, purchasing religious materials, including ‘prasad’ and making donations for Mata Jwalamukhi temple, Vajreshwari temple and Chamunda Devi temple in Kangra district.

He said that through online platforms, devotees can book special offerings, request rituals to be performed on their behalf and even receive ‘prasad’ by post.

“Directives have been issued to uphold the sanctity of religious practices while performing virtual ceremonies and to ensure that traditions are not compromised,” an official statement quoting the Chief Minister said.

Sukhu said that many temples, including Mata Chintpurni in Una district, Baba Balak Nath Temple Deothsidh in Hamirpur district and Jakhu Temple in Shimla district are now offering online darshan services.

He said that the digital transformation of the temples is also boosting the tourism sector. With increased online visibility, more people are becoming aware of the religious places and cultural significance, drawing tourists and pilgrims alike to these sacred places, both virtually and physically.

Sukhu said that the government is actively promoting religious tourism and working to enhance the infrastructure at various religious places for the convenience of pilgrims and tourists.