UP's Rs 83 crore plan upgrades 20 Devi shrines as Navratri crowds rise

The Uttar Pradesh government says 22 development projects worth about Rs 83 crore are under way at 20 shrines of the Goddess, or Devi temples, spread across 19 districts of the state, according to a state government statement reported in the week after Sharadiya Navratri and Dussehra, which fell on October 20, 2026. The state's Tourism Department linked the works to bigger crowds at Devi temples during this year's Navratri, including at Maa Vindhyavasini Dham in Mirzapur. Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh said the effort to develop Devi temples had been going on since 2017.

Navratri, the nine nights of worship of the Goddess in her different forms, brings some of the largest crowds of the year to Devi temples in north India. According to tradition, shrines such as Vindhyavasini in Mirzapur hold a special place for devotees of Shakti, the Goddess as the power behind creation. Large crowds at such places need safe queues, drinking water, toilets, shade, parking and medical help, and many older shrines were not built for today's numbers.

The state's plan aims to fill that gap and, at the same time, turn faith-based travel into a source of local income. When pilgrims arrive in larger numbers, small businesses around the temple, from flower and prasad sellers to boatmen, guesthouse owners and drivers, earn more. Linking several Devi shrines into a circuit could encourage pilgrims to visit more than one place and stay longer.

There are also points to watch. Development at old temple sites must respect their character and heritage, avoid displacing local traders who have worked there for generations, and plan for safety during peak days. The footfall figures reported so far come from the state government and temple sources, not from independent counts. The state has also not yet published a shrine-by-shrine list of works and completion dates in the reports seen, which devotees and local residents will want to know so they can plan visits around construction.

Short-term: Devotees visiting the covered shrines during the coming festival months, including Kartik and the run-up to Diwali, may see better facilities as works are completed, along with some disruption where construction is still going on.

Long-term: If the circuit takes shape, religious tourism to Devi temples could grow steadily through the year, not only during Navratri, adding to income in districts that see few other tourists.

Who is affected: Pilgrims and devotees of the Goddess; temple trusts and priests; local traders, artisans and self-help groups around the shrines; and district administrations that manage festival crowds.

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