Agence France Presse
NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 17, 2004: Devotees of the Goddess Vaishnodevi are now able to send donations over the internet or at the Jammu and Kashmir Bank which has branches across India, so that archanas and prayers can be performed on their behalf at the holy shrine. Many pilgrims have chosen this way of reaching out to the Goddess rather than personally visiting the shrine that is located in the terrorist-wracked Indian state of Kashmir. In 2003, the article says that more than five million pilgrims visited the shrine, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of the Kashmir winter capital of Jammu, and hundreds of politicians are expected to seek blessings from the Goddess before national elections that begin April 20. Also in a tragic incident last year, seven Hindu devotees were killed and 42 injured while making the trek to visit the Goddess. As a result, many have chosen to safely worship the Goddess by logging directly onto the website here.