Dharamshala, Oct. 21 -- More than 10.25 lakh devotees visited seven prominent 'Shakti Peeths' and temples across Himachal Pradesh during Ashwin Navratri from 11 to 19 October, 2026, officials said. According to information, during the nine-day festivities, 10,25,726 pilgrims and 1,04,520 vehicles were recorded at the seven major temples. Shri Naina Devi witnessed the highest footfall of 3,95,226 devotees, followed by Shri Jawalamukhi (1,80,000), Shri Chintpurni (1,39,000), Shri Bala Sundri, Trilokpur (1,06,600), Shri Chamunda Devi (70,500), Shri Brijeshwari Devi (69,400) and Shri Baglamukhi (65,000). Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday congratulated state police for ensuring safe, peaceful and smooth darshan for the devotees. Appreciating the dedication and professionalism of police personnel, the CM observed that ensuring the safety and convenience of lakhs of pilgrims visiting Himachal Pradesh's sacred shrines is an important responsibility of the state government. Managing such an enormous influx of devotees, particularly at temples situated in hilly terrain with narrow approach roads and limited parking facilities, required meticulous planning and continuous supervision. "Himachal Pradesh Police made elaborate arrangements for crowd management, traffic regulation, parking, queue management and public safety, enabling devotees to undertake their pilgrimage peacefully and conveniently," officials said. Director general of police, Himachal Pradesh, Ashok Tewari, IPS, commended the concerned district police chiefs, supervisory officers and personnel deployed during Navratri and reiterated the commitment of Himachal Pradesh Police to ensuring the safety and convenience of every pilgrim and tourist visiting the state....