No one would count Vaishno Devi as an Offbeat destination, but, it is not much known amongst the foreigners coming to India, and, has not been promoted much to that effect. Hence, we would like to write about it here.
Vaishno Devi Mandir, which is actually a Cave Temple, is amongst the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani and Vaishnavi, an incarnation of "Shakti" (Mother Goddess), located in the Trikut hills of Vaishno Devi, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
The shrine is at an altitude of 5200 feet and a distance of approximately 14 kilometres (8.4 miles) from the town of Katra, in the Reasi district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of the most revered places of worship in India.
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| Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine |
Vaishno Devi is the Second in the list of Most - Visited shrine in India, which is topped by Tirumala Tirupati Temple, and approximately 8 million pilgrims visit the temple every year. It is also amongst the top-earning shrines in India with annual income exceeding Rs. 500 Crores (Approximately $110 Million).
The Shrine is maintained by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
There are many stories about the significance of this place for Hindus, but, the most acknowledged one is as follows :
Pandit Shreedhar, resident of a village called Hansali, 2 km away from the present Katra town, was an ardent devotee of Maa (Mother Goddess). One day, Maa appeared to him in the form of a young bewitching girl and asked him to hold a 'Bhandara' (a religious feast meant to feed devotees or poor). Shreedhar invited people from the village and near-by places. He also invited 'Bhairav Nath', who was a selfish tantrik. Bhairav Nath decided to spoil the bhandara and reached the place with a huge number of followers. Shreedhar started worrying about space and Food at the sight of such a huge number of people. To help him out of his predicament, the Divine girl appeared and told him not to despair as everything had been arranged. Using her mystical powers, she managed to accommodate over 360 devotees in the small hut of Shreedhar, and, feed them to their satisfaction.
Bhairav Nath realised that the girl had supernatural powers and decided to capture her to obtain her powers. He followed the girl in the Trikut Hills for several months.
Vaishno Devi meditated in a cave for 9 months to attune herself with the Cosmic Powers. The cave is known as Garbh Joon and is located near Adhkawari. However, Bhairav Nath was able to locate her and disturbed her meditation. She, then, climbed even higher but Bhairav Nath followed her. His persistence angered the goddess and she took the all-powerful form of MahaKali. The transformation of the Goddess took place at the mouth of the Holy cave, which is now treated as the Darbar.
The Goddess, in her anger, beheaded Bhairav Nath, and his skull fell at a distance of 2.5 kms from the Holy Cave. The place where his skull fell is known as Bhairav Ghati. It is said that when Bhairav Nath pleaded for forgiveness, the Goddess forgave him, and granted him Moksha (liberation from the cycle of reincarnation), and granted him a boon as well, according to which, every devotee has to visit Bhairav Nath's temple in Bhairav Ghati, after the darshan of the Goddess, else the pilgrimage would remain incomplete.
Then, Mata Vaishno Devi assumed the shape of a rock with three pindis (heads) and immersed herself into meditation forever.
Trek to the Shrine :
To reach the Shrine, one has to trek a distance of 13 kms starting from katra. Those who cannot walk the distance, like Elderly, Infirm and Children, can hire a pony or a Palanquin. People traveling with luggage can hire Pithus for carrying children & luggage on shoulders. It is advisable to avail the services of only registered people and keep their token for the period they are engaged.
An easier way to reach the Shrine is to make use of Helicopter services from Katra to Shrine. It is just an 8 Minute Flight from Katra to Shrine. These services are available from 08.30 hrs. till 17.00 hrs.
Yatris are advised to obtain slip from the Yatra Registration counter at the Tourism Reception Centre, Katra Bus Stand. Without an authentic yatra slip, crossing Banganga check post will not be allowed . The slip is free but necessary to commence the yatra.
Baanganga is situated only One km away from Katra. It is believed that the Goddess had shot an arrow into the Earth and water gushed out from the resultant fissure to quench her thirst. The water from the fissure resulted into a river, which is known as Baanganga. It is believed that by taking a bath in Baanganga (Baan = Arrow), a believer of the Mother Goddess can wash away all his sins. There are Devi's foot imprints on the banks of the river, known as Charan Paduka, which have remained intact till date.
Adhkawari is situated at a distance of Six kms from Katra.
After 9.5 kms of trekking , yatris reach Sanjhi Chhat where one can rest for some time. Some accommodation is also available at this place.
Bhawan (the main Shrine) is just 3.5 kms away from here.
The entire 13 kms route is tiled, clean, and, is quite well-maintained. Further, the whole path is lit up at night by powerful sodium vapour lamps.
There are plenty of shelter - cum - sheds and cafeterias en route, and, all are pure vegetarian.
Public Utility facilities like Washrooms, Toilets, Drinking Water Tanks are available all along the route.
On reaching Bhawan, yatris have to show the yatra slip at the Registration Office and obtain the Batch No. provided on the slip. This number determines one's place in the queue for darshan of Ma Vaishno Devi.
It is mandatory to take a bath and change into clean clothes before entering the Shrine.
Offerings and Chunris can be bought all along the route or from the main bhawan complex near the temple.
Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board sells Gold and Silver coins as mementos - Souvenir shop on premises sells Shawls, Sarees and Chunris.
Appropriate Season
One can visit the shrine all through the year, but the path is difficult during the winter, sometimes due to snow fall, and, sometimes simply due to the chill. At the same time, the crowds are heavy during Summer, and, comparatively, quite low during winter.
How to reach
Air
Nearest Airport is at Jammu. There are Daily flights from Major cities to Jammu.
Rail
There are daily trains from New Delhi to Jammu, and, there are several other trains from other major cities.
Road
There are plenty of buses plying between Delhi and Jammu from Kashmere Gate ISBT.
The distance of 48 Kms. from Jammu to Katra can be covered by bus or taxi.
From Jammu : Buses leave for Katra every 10 minutes from the main bus stand at Jammu between 5.30 am to 8.30 pm. During rush periods, additional buses are also pressed into service between Jammu and Katra.
Private Taxis are also available for hire between Jammu and Katra. These can be hired from Jammu Airport, Jammu Railway Station and the Tourist Reception Centre at Jammu.
Accommodation
Jammu
Yatri Niwas managed by the shrine Board and various private hotels. The room rent ranges from Rs. 300/- to 3000/- per day.
Katra
Yatri Niwas managed by the shrine Board; Rest houses maintained by Jammu & Kashmir Tourist Department; & other hotels. There are certain Sarais, managed by the Shrine Board, that offer free accommodation at Adhkawari, Sanjichhat and Darbar. Dharamshalas, run by various organizations, also offer reasonable accommodation to the pilgrims. Yatris are however advised to keep themselves away from touts promising free Dharamshala accommodations.
