Vaishnodevi
Vaishnodevi, the Hindu pilgrimage centre is perched on Trikuta mountain at an altitude of 1615 m above sea level, in the northern part of Jammu and Kashmir state in India. The temple is located 12 km from the base camp called Katra in Udhampur district.
History:
More than 700 years ago, a divine girl was born to a man called Ratnakar who named her Vaishnavi. She was so bright and intelligent that she acquired more knowledge than other famous scholars at the time. She discarded all worldly ties and went into the jungle for meditation. Bhairon Nath, a demon, pestered her to marry him as he was smitten by her beauty. At one stage, Vaishnavi took a Maha Kali form and destroyed Bhairon Nath. Then she became a rock statue and assumed the name Ma Vaishnodevi. After death the demon, Bhairon Nath realized his mistake and pleaded forgiveness. He was forgiven by the goddess. A temple is raised for this demon near the Goddess’ temple. Every Hindu’s pilgrimage will be complete only after visiting this temple also.
The holy cave of Vaishnodevi temple is 98 ft long. Pilgrims have to crawl through a tunnel into the cave. After crossing Bhairon Nath temple and Launkra Beer part, pilgrims have to wade through water for about 23 ft. In this temple Ma Vaishnodevi dwells in three forms namely, Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswathi. The annual count of devotees now exceeds 5 million. Devotees have to take a challenging trek from Katra to get to Vaishnodevi temple. Many tea stalls and dhabas are available along the side of this route where pilgrims can take rest for a while. Tourists can also enjoy picturesque views of scenic beauty during this trek. Since 1986, a Shri Mata Vaishnodevi shrine board has been formed. This board does a number of development activities to make the pilgrimage more comfortable for devotees.
There are also some more temples around Katra. The Shiv Khori temple is the abode of Lord Shiva situated 70 km from Katra. A naturally formed Shiv Ling 4 ft high can be seen in this temple. Dera Baba Banda shrine is situated at a distance of 30 km from Katra. Tourists can see lots of natural thermal springs around this shrine. These springs are believed to have medicinal qualities. This is a combination Hindu-Sikh pilgrim spot. In Aghar Jitto, 5 km away from Katra travelers can see a temple dedicated to a legendary hero named, Baba Jitto. The Devi Mai temple is located 3 miles from Katra where devotees perform paeans.
The nearest airport is at Jammu. Regular flights to Delhi, Srinagar and Leh are available from here. The nearest railhead is at Jammu which in turn is well connected to the other parts of India. Vaishnodevi is accessed by the 13 km steep trek from Katra base. Tourists can also hire ponies and porters in Katra Base.
History:
More than 700 years ago, a divine girl was born to a man called Ratnakar who named her Vaishnavi. She was so bright and intelligent that she acquired more knowledge than other famous scholars at the time. She discarded all worldly ties and went into the jungle for meditation. Bhairon Nath, a demon, pestered her to marry him as he was smitten by her beauty. At one stage, Vaishnavi took a Maha Kali form and destroyed Bhairon Nath. Then she became a rock statue and assumed the name Ma Vaishnodevi. After death the demon, Bhairon Nath realized his mistake and pleaded forgiveness. He was forgiven by the goddess. A temple is raised for this demon near the Goddess’ temple. Every Hindu’s pilgrimage will be complete only after visiting this temple also.
The holy cave of Vaishnodevi temple is 98 ft long. Pilgrims have to crawl through a tunnel into the cave. After crossing Bhairon Nath temple and Launkra Beer part, pilgrims have to wade through water for about 23 ft. In this temple Ma Vaishnodevi dwells in three forms namely, Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswathi. The annual count of devotees now exceeds 5 million. Devotees have to take a challenging trek from Katra to get to Vaishnodevi temple. Many tea stalls and dhabas are available along the side of this route where pilgrims can take rest for a while. Tourists can also enjoy picturesque views of scenic beauty during this trek. Since 1986, a Shri Mata Vaishnodevi shrine board has been formed. This board does a number of development activities to make the pilgrimage more comfortable for devotees.
There are also some more temples around Katra. The Shiv Khori temple is the abode of Lord Shiva situated 70 km from Katra. A naturally formed Shiv Ling 4 ft high can be seen in this temple. Dera Baba Banda shrine is situated at a distance of 30 km from Katra. Tourists can see lots of natural thermal springs around this shrine. These springs are believed to have medicinal qualities. This is a combination Hindu-Sikh pilgrim spot. In Aghar Jitto, 5 km away from Katra travelers can see a temple dedicated to a legendary hero named, Baba Jitto. The Devi Mai temple is located 3 miles from Katra where devotees perform paeans.
The nearest airport is at Jammu. Regular flights to Delhi, Srinagar and Leh are available from here. The nearest railhead is at Jammu which in turn is well connected to the other parts of India. Vaishnodevi is accessed by the 13 km steep trek from Katra base. Tourists can also hire ponies and porters in Katra Base.
