Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha today chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the establishment of a state-of-the-art International Museum of Goddess at Katra.
The meeting was attended by members of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board including Mahamandleshwar Shri Swami Vishveshvaranand Giriji Maharaj, Shri Baleshwar Rai, Dr. Ashok Bhan, Smt. Sudha Murty, Smt. Gunjan Rana, Dr. K.K. Talwar, Shri Kulbhushan Ahuja, Shri Lalit Bhasin, and Shri Suresh Kumar Sharma.
Padma Shri Prof. Vishwa Murti Shastri; Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor; Shri Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Prof. Umesh Rai, Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu; Prof. K.S. Chandrasekar, Vice-Chancellor, Cluster University of Jammu; Shri Sachin Kumar Vaishya, Chief Executive Officer, SMVDSB; Shri Alok Maurya, Additional CEO, SMVDSB; and Ms. Shruti Awasthi, Regional Director, IGNCA, Prof. Satish Kumar Kapoor, Director, Central Sanskrit University, Shri Maharaja Ranbir Singh Campus; Dr. Chander Mouli Raina, Sanskrit Scholar and senior officials also attended the meeting.
During the deliberations, Board members and other stakeholders shared their valuable insights and suggestions for creation of a world-class spiritual and cultural landmark. The proposed museum aims to offer pilgrims a deeper understanding of Mata Shakti by seamlessly blending immersive storytelling, artifacts, and rich local traditions with cutting-edge modern technology. The state-of-the-art institution will showcase the sacred iconography of 51 Shakti Peethas alongside the nine divine Swaroops of Maa Durga.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board briefed the meeting on steps taken so far. These include the launch of a dedicated website to invite suggestions from across the globe, study visits by teams to existing premier museums across the country, and the identification of leading domain experts to bring the grand vision to fruition.
The Board approved the creation of a permanent post for a Director General, who will head the International Museum of Goddess alongside a dedicated team of experts and officials. Furthermore, the Board granted approval for a dedicated corpus of funds to seamlessly drive the conceptualization, development, and operations of the prestigious project.
The Lieutenant Governor suggested deputing a team of experts to visit the various sacred Shaktipeeths to be featured in the museum. The Board also resolved to appoint a specialized consultant to spearhead detailed research and architectural conceptualization.
The Museum shall serve as a spiritual sanctuary and a premier center of knowledge. With an integrated library and research center, it will play a pivotal role in awakening the young generation to the rich cultural, traditional, and spiritual values of our Shaktipeeths and the region.