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Mata Vaishno Devi Temple
Location: Jammu and Kashmir in North India. Mata Vaishno Devi Temple InformationMata Vaishno Devi Temple is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers in India. It perched on the Trikuta Mountain at a height of 5, 300 ft. The shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi nestles in a cave of Himalayan Mountains in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This cave temple is at a distance of 61 kms from Jammu. The gateway to temple has a stretch of 13 kms that has to be covered on foot by the devotees. The trail turn into a cramped tunnel with a running stream called as ‘Char an Ganga.’ The pilgrim has to pass through the cave to reach the holy sanatorium. Thousand of devotees pay their devotions throughout the year irrespective of the difficulties un taken by them especially during the winter’s seasons when the detour is generally obstructed by snowfall. Diet the Godess Vaishno The house of worship of Vaishno Devi is dedicated to Vaishno, the manifestation of Goddess Sati. The shrine is the abode to deity Vaishno representing in the configuration of a five and half feet tall rock structure and three Pin dies or heads. Legend has it that goddess in order to coalesce with Lord Vishnu to accomplish her destiny was born as Vaishno in the house of Ranker. The Significance of the Temple The holy Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi Jim is most sacred and divine as it embody the holy Indies depicting Mata in her three forms:
A unification of these three temperament form a distinct Sati known as Mata Vaishno Devi Jim that makes her worshiped through out the world. The Pad Yatra/ Divine Journey The Pad Yatra commence at Kara is a 13km stretch of hard and rough terrain. The pilgrims generally cover the journey by foot or can go for a pony or a horse ride. Ban ganga is a place where Mata quenched her thirst 1km from Katra and at the distance of 6km lies the holy cave at Adhkawari.Throughout the journey devotees are fed with shelters and bhandaras (eating joints) with pure vegetarian food. A facility of coolers for drinking water is available all over the route. Blankets can also be obtained on refundable deposit for Rs.100. The Darshan Prasad, Chunri and Coconuts from the shops located at the entrance of the Bhawan. The Yatris are issued a token number mentioning the group number and the time for Darshen. The Aartis The Aarti ritual of the Goddess Vashnavi is performed twice a day, early morning at sun rise and during evenings at sun set. It usually takes two hours for the Aarti to be completed, during this period the premises are closed for the pilgrims. Only the Pujaris, Sahayaks are permitted in the cave when the Aarti is being performed. Whole shrine echoes with the holy sound of chanting Mantras by the Punaris accompanied by uttering 108 names of Durga-Ma. Pujaris chant the Pratigyaa Sankalp and they pledge to worship Maha Saraswati, Mata Maha Kali and Maha Lakshmi Vaishno Mata. Accomodation At Katra, Yatri Niwas managed by the Shrine Board, Rest Houses maintained by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department are available Adhkawari, Sanjichhat and Darbar. Dharamshala, run by various organisations offer reasonable accommodation to the pilgrims. Free accommodation (sarais) are also available Mode of TransportAir: The nearest airport 48km from Katra is in Jammu. Helicopter service can also be obtained from the airport at Sanjhi Chat in Jammu in the morning. The ride costs about Rs. 2,000 one way. Train: The nearest train station is in Jammu. Road: There are regular buses leaving for the 52 km trip from the central bus stand in Jammu to where the road ends at Katra (2 hr). KatraThe gateway to the shrine is situated at 2,800 feet and takes about 2 hours to reach from Jammu by bus. It is 48 km from Jammu, 650 km from Delhi 520 km from Udhampur, 410 km from Chandigarh and 80 km from Patnitop. |
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