JAMMU: Thousands of devotees paid obeisance at the famous Bawe Wali Mata Temple on the first Navratra today.
Security personnel deployed by the district administration and local volunteers had a tough time managing the heavy rush. Long queues of the devotees could be witnessed since early morning right from the main entrance upto the temple.
Such was the enthusiasm among the devotees that they started reaching the temple along with
their family members early in the morning around 4:00 AM.
The whole temple complex has been given a decorated look with flowers and lights for nine-day-long festivities dedicated to incarnations of Goddess Durga.
In order to avoid chaos-like situation, separate queues of men and women devotees were prepared, but that also were not enough as the devotees continued to throng the Holy Shrine in large numbers to seek blessings of the Goddess.
Special prayers were held in the temple dedicated to Goddess Durga.
A number of social and religious organisations had put up various food stalls en route the temple for the devotees.
A number of Safaikaramcharis have also been deployed in and around the temple premises to maintain cleanliness.