As per the legend, during
the period when the Goddess was busy in annihiliting the
Asuras, Her three main manifestations viz. Mata Maha Kali,
Mata Maha Lakshmi and Mata Maha Saraswati got together one day
and pooled their collective Tejas or spiritual
strength. A stunningly bright light emanated from the place
where the Tejas of the three manifestations coalesced
and a beautiful young girl emerged out of this Tejas. The
young girl asked them, "Why have I been created?'' The Devis
explained to her that they had created her so that she would
live on earth and spend her time in upholding righteousness.
The Devis added, "Now, go and take birth in the house
of Ratankar and his wife who reside in the southern part of
India, and who are great devotees of ours. Live on earth.
Uphold righteousness and evolve yourself spiritually so that
you reach higher levels of consciousness. Once you have
attained the appropriate level of consciousness you will merge
into Vishnu and become one with him.'' So saying they blessed
the girl. Sometimes later a very beautiful girl child was born
to Ratankar and his wife. The couple named the child
Vaishnavi. The girl right from her childhood displayed a
hunger for knowledge which was like a vortex and which no
amount of teaching and learning could sufficiently satiate.
Subsequently, Vaishnavi started looking into her inner self
for knowledge, and soon learned the art of meditation and
realized that meditation and penance only could bring her
close to her greater objective. Vaishnavi thus relinquished
all household comforts and went deep into the forest for
Tapasaya (meditation). Meanwhile, Lord Ram, during
his fourteen years of exile happened to visit Vaishnavi who
recognized him immediately as no ordinary being but the
incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and immediately asked him to merge
her into himself so that she could become one with the supreme
creator.
However Lord Ram,
knowing that it was not the appropriate time, dissuaded her by
saying that he would visit her again after the end of his
exile, and at that time if she succeeded in recognizing him,
he would fulfill her wish. True to his words, Rama visited her
again after being victorious in the battle, but this time he
did so in the disguise of an old man. Unfortunately, Vaishnavi
was unable to recognize him this time and was distraught. Upon
this, Lord Ram consoled her that the appropriate time for her
being one with the creator had not come, and that time would
come eventually in 'Kaliyug' when He (Ram) would be in his
incarnation of 'Kalki'. Ram also directed her to meditate, and
set up an Ashram at the base of Trikuta hills, to elevate her
level of spirituality so as to bless mankind and rid the poor
and destitute of their sufferings.Only then would 'Vishnu'
merge her into himself. Vaishnavi, immediately set off for the
northern part and after immense hardships, reached the foot of
the Trikuta Hills. After reaching there she set up her ashram
there and began to meditate.
As predicted by Lord Ram,
her glory spread far and wide, and people began to flock to
her Ashram to seek her blessings. As time passed, a Tantrik
named Gorakh Nath who had a vision of the episode between Lord
Ram and Vaishnavi in the retrospective time frame, became
curious to find out whether Vaishnavi has been able to attain
a high level of spirituality or not. He, therefore, sent his
most able disciple 'Bhairon Nath' to find out the truth.
Bhairon Nath on locating the ashram started observing
Vaishnavi secretly, and realised that though a 'Sadhvi' she
always carried bow and arrows with her, and was always
surrounded by langoors (apes) and a ferocious looking lion.
Bhairon Nath was enamored by Vaishnavi's extraordinary beauty,
and losing all good sense he began to pester Vaishnavi to
marry him. Meanwhile a staunch devotee of Vaiashnavi, Mata
Sridhar organised a Bhandara (Community meal) in
which the whole village and Guru Gorakh Nath along with all
his followers including Bhairon were invited. During the
course of Bhandara Bhairon Nath attempted to grab Vaishnavi
but she tried her best to daunt him. On failing to do so,
Vaishnavi decided to flee away into the mountains to continue
her Tapasaya undisturbed. Bhairon Nath however chased
her to her destination.
The goddess after halting at
(present day) Banganga, Charan Paduka, and Adhkwari, finally
reached the holy cave Shrine. When Bhairon Nath continued to
follow her despite the goddess trying to avoid a
confrontation, the goddess was compelled to kill him. Bhairon
Nath met his ultimate fate when the goddess, just outside the
mouth of the cave, beheaded him. The severed head of Bhairon
fell with a force at a distant hilltop. Bhairon Nath upon
death realised the futility of his mission and prayed to the
deity to forgive him. The almighty Mata ( Mother Goddess) had
mercy on Bhairon and gave him a boon that every devotee of the
goddess would have to have the Darshans of Bhairon after
having the Darshans of the Goddess and only then would the
yatra of a devotee be complete. Meanwhile, Vaishnavi decided
to shed off her human form and assuming the face of a rock she
immersed her self into meditation forever. Thus Vaishnavi, in
the form of a five and a half feet tall rock with three heads
or the Pindies on the top is the
ultimate destination of a devotee. These Pindies
constitute the Sanctum Sanctorum of the holy
cave known as the shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji, which
is revered by one and all.
Discovery
of Shrine
Aarti
The
'Aarti' of the Goddess is performed twice a day first time in
the morning just before the sunrise and second time in the
evening immediately after the sunset.
The procedure of
'Aarti' is a very sacred and lengthy one. The Pujaris perform
'Aarti' before the holy deity first inside the sanctum-
sanctorum and than outside the cave. Before the commencement
of 'Aarti', the Pujaris perform 'Aatam pujan' i,e
self-purification. Then the Goddess is bathed in water, milk,
ghee (Clarified butter), honey and sugar. Thereafter the
goddess is dressed-up in a saree, chola and chuni and
ornaments are endowed upon her. The whole process takes place
amidst the enchantment of various shlokas and Mantras.
Thereafter Tilak is placed on the forehead of the deity and
Navied (prashad) is offered to her. The Pujaris perform puja
of various Gods and Goddesses, as it is a believed that during
the Aarti time, all the Gods and Goddesses are present inside
the sanctum Sanctorum. The Jyoti (divine lamp) is lightened
and then the 'Aarti' of the goddess is performed. After the
whole procedure, the thaal which contains the lamp and various
other items used in the 'Aarti', is brought outside the mouth
of the holy cave, where 'Aarti' of the goddess is performed in
the presence of yatris. The yatris who remain seated outside
the holy cave during the time when the Aarti is performed
inside the Sanctum Sanctorum, keep listening to the Pravachans
of head Pandit. After the Aarti outside the holy cave is over,
the pujari distributes Prasadam and the charanamrit ( the holy
water) to the devotees.
This whole procedure of
'Aarti' takes nearly two hours during which time the darshans
remain suspended. All the maintenance works required inside
the cave are carried out during this time
only.
How to
reach the Shrine
In
order to visit the Holy Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi Ji, one
has to reach Katra, a small town situated around 50 kms. from
Jammu, the winter capital of the state of Jammu & Kashmir.
Katra serves as the base camp for the yatra. Katra is well
connected to Jammu and Jammu, in turn, is well connected to
the rest of the country by Air, Rail, and Road.
By Air
Jammu is
well connected to the rest of India by air. Both Indian
Airlines and Jet Airways operate daily flights to Jammu. The
average flying time from New Delhi is about 80
minutes.
By
Train
One can also
reach Jammu by rail. Jammu is connected to other parts of
country on broad gauge and numerous passenger trains ply from
various parts of the country to Jammu. In the peak season of
summer and other holidays, the Railways introduce special
trains for Jammu for the comfort of the Yatris. Many superfast
trains also ply on this route and one can reach Jammu
overnight from New Delhi.
A list of trains, their
schedules and booking status could be seen at the Indian
Railways website. You can even book tickets online if you are
planning to travel in the near future.
By Road
Jammu is well connected through road also to rest
of India. National Highway No. 1A passes through Jammu towards
Srinagar. Regular bus services from all major North Indian
cities are available for Jammu as well as Katra. Many standard
and deluxe buses of various State Road Transport Corporations
as well as private operators connect Jammu with important
cities and towns of North India.
Passengers using Air or
Rail as a mode of travel have necessarily to break their
journey at Jammu and from thereon select an alternative mode
of transport. However for passengers traveling by road, either
through public or own transport, there is an option of taking
a by-pass from Kunjwani, nearly 10 kms. off Jammu and heading
straight for the base camp i.e Katra. The option of a halt at
Jammu is thus entirely with the yatri although many yatries
would like to spend more time in Jammu and visit the temples
and other landmarks there.
Jammu to Katra
Passengers using Air or Rail as a
mode of travel have necessarily to break their journey at
Jammu and from thereon select an alternative mode of
transport. However for passengers traveling by road, either
through public or own transport, there is an option of taking
a by-pass from Kunjwani, nearly 10 kms. off Jammu and heading
straight for the base camp i.e Katra.
The option of a halt
at Jammu is thus entirely with the yatri although many yatries
would like to spend more time in Jammu and visit the temples
and other landmarks there.
If one is coming by his own
vehicle and does not wish to halt at Jammu, he can head
straight on National Highway No.1A. At a point nearly 35 kms.
from Jammu, called Domel, the road branches off into two;
while one road heads towards Srinagar the other leads to
Katra
At the moment no train services are available between
Jammu and Katra. However, work on the Jammu-Katra rail link is
underway and Katra is likely to emerge on the rail map
shortly.
The distance between Jammu and Katra is
approximately 50 km. Ordinary and luxury buses are available
from Jammu to Katra at a frequency of 10-15 minutes. While
ordinary buses can be boarded from the State Road Transport
Bus Stand around 1 km from Jammu Railway Station, luxury buses
are available from just outside the Railway Station. It takes
around 2 hours to cover the 50 km stretch from Jammu to Katra.
The terrain is hilly and winding and passengers often
experience nausea and vomiting.
Private Taxies for Katra
are available from the Jammu Tawi Railway Station and Jammu
Airport. The official rates range between Rs. 500-800 for one
way travel depending upon the make of the vehicle. For Cars or
Vehicles with a sitting capacity of 4-5 persons, the rates are
around Rs. 500-650 while larger vehicles like Jeeps, Vans etc.
having larger sitting capacity charge in the range of Rs.
650-800. Many operators also offer taxies on a per seat basis.
As with many other tourist destinations, it is not uncommon
for passengers to be accosted at the Airport or the Railway
station by taxi drivers. It is advisable to check the
officially approved rate (the same is subject to periodic
revisions) and insist on paying only the approved rate. A taxi
would normally take 70-80 minutes to reach Katra from
Jammu.
Vehicles are usually stopped on the way by security
personnel for security checks. All visitors are therefore
requested to cooperate with the authorities and comply with
the security formalities.
Katra
town
Located at
an altitude of about 2500 feet above sea level, Katra is the
base camp for the Yatra to the Holy Shrine of Shri Mata
Vaishno Devi Ji. This is the last point uptill which any type
of modern transport can go (except the recently started
Helicopter service, which takes the pilgrims right till
Sanjichhat, just a couple of kilometers from the Holy Shrine).
Therefore, for all practical purposes, Katra serves as the
base camp. From here a trek of around 12 kms takes a pilgrim
to the Holy Shrine. One can undertake this trek on foot or on
horses/ponies or on palanquins (palkies or dolies). While most
of the pilgrims prefer to go on foot, some who find it
difficult to negotiate the climb hire a pony or a palanquin.
All visitors are required to register themselves before
undertaking the trek. This is done at the Yatra Registration
Counter (YRC) situated at the Bus Stand where the registered
yatris are issued a Yatra Slip, free of cost.
This is a mandatory requirement and without a valid Yatra Slip
pilgrims are not allowed to proceed beyond Yatra Parchi Check
Counter at Banganga. This is necessary to regualte the Yatra
at Bhawan and also on the track. This Yatra Slip is to be
preserved as the same coveres devotees with an insurance cover
against any untoward casualty due to accidents, to the tune of
Rs.1,00,000 for majors and Rs. 25,000 for
minors.
Facilities
at Katra
Katra serves as the base
camp for the Yatra. It is also the point where yatries halt
for a while and make preparations for the trek to the Holy
Shrine. In order to cater to the requirements of the yatries,
a wide variety of facilities are available in and around
Katra.
Accommodation:- For the
benefit of the pilgrims, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board
provides clean, well maintained and very economical
accommodation at Niharika Yatri Niwas and Shakti Bhawan
situated at bus stand, Katra. Rooms, both air conditioned and
Non air conditioned are available. In addition, dormitory
accommodation at Rs. 50/- per bed is available in Shakti
Bhawan (Niharika complex). Another 500 bedded accommodation in
Sarai building is under construction near the 2nd Yatra
counter (YRC II) and is expected to be available shortly. In
all the accommodation facilities provided by Shrine Board,
there is an additional facility of a hygienic, no profit no
loss Bhojanalayas, Souvenir Shop and a free cloak room. Free
parking of private vehicles is also allowed.
Accommodation
for all Shrine Board Guest houses/dormitories can be booked
(subject to availability) at the reception of these guest
houses or at the Enquiry and Reservation counter at Niharika
complex. Advance reservation is possible by sending a demand
draft of the required amount to the Chief Executive
Officer/Dy, Manager (E&R) payable at Katra.
Free
Accommodation: - In addition to the above
facilities provided by Shrine Board on no profit no loss
basis, there is also a provision for basic accommodation for
yatries on an absolutely FREE basis. This accommodation is
available in Niharika complex and near Yatra Parchi counter II
(YRC-II). Besides accommodation, blankets are also provided
free of cost. During days of rush additional free
accommodation is also made available to the Yatries in the
Niharika complex itself.
Other Accommodation
facilities: - There are various
Sarais/Dharamshalas in Katra, which provide good accommodation
to the pilgrims, either free of cost or at a nominal price.
While some of them do provide facilities to the pilgrims, many
of these places have passed in the hands of certain people
with vested interests who insist on the pilgrims buying
offerings from their own shops located in the premises of
these Sarais. Pilgrims should be careful of such elements as
they tend to sell items at a price many times higher than
their original value.
There are
various lodges, Guest Houses, ordinary and luxury hotels,
Cottages, Resorts and all types of accommodation facilities
available too, which provide accommodation to the devotees.
Pilgrims have a wide range to choose from depending upon their
taste and budget.
Food
and Refreshment: - Katra has all types of
vegetarian restaurants and dining places. Being a religious
place, almost all these restaurants and catering outlets
provide pure vegetarian food to the pilgrims in which even
onion and garlic is not used. Pilgrims are also requested to
preserve and uphold the sanctity of the Holy place and desist
from demanding non vegetarian meals or alcohol from any
outlets.
General items
of use: - Provision, General and Medical stores
are available all over Katra as also at Adkuwari and
Bhawan.
Parking of
private vehicles: - Sufficient parking spaces are
available in and around Katra. Other than the general bus
stand, chartered and private buses can be parked at the second
bus stand near Yatra Registration Counter No.2 located on
Udhampur road. The Shrine Board provides free parking facility
in its various complexes. This facility is however open only
to bonafide users of the complexes.
Cloak Room
facility: - Considering that many yatries would
like to leave behind their excess luggage in Katra before
undertaking the Yatra, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has
provided for free cloak room facility in all its guest houses/
lodging places. Cloak room facility is also offered by many
hotels and lodges. Certain private Sarais, shops and
establishments also claim to offer such facilities but yatries
are advised to reassure themselves of the credentials of the
service provider before entrusting their luggage to them. In
particular, video cameras and mobile phones, besides other
electronic equipment are not allowed on the track for security
reasons. Yatries must make adequate arrangement for the safe
keeping of such equipments before embarking on the
yatra
Railway Reservation: - A
computerized Railway Reservation Counter has been opened in
the Niharika complex near the main bus stand. Through this
Railway Reservation facility, reservations to and from any
railway station can be now availed of at this counter. The
infrastructural and logistical support to this Centre is being
provided by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine
Board.
Communication: - STD/ISD/PCO
booths function all over Katra, along the track and right
uptill Bhawan. A few of them are open for all 24 hours. Post
and telegraph facilities are also available at Katra, Adkuwari
and Bhawan. Katra also has a Speed Post facility to/from major
destinations. A few cyber cafes are also
functional.
Souvenirs
and Publications: - Those who wish to purchase
Souvenirs and momentos may do so from the Souvenir Shops of
the Shrine Board, located at Katra. Various kinds of Prashad,
cassettes, books, chunnies and cholas are available on no
profit basis. Similar outlets are also available at Bhawan,
Sanjichhat, Adkuwari and Vaishnavi Dham at
Jammu
Police: - There is a Police
station at Katra as well as Bhawan, besides police posts at
Banganga and Adkuwari.
Banking: - Many
nationalized banks have their branches at Katra. The State
Bank of India, Bank of Punjab and J&K Bank also provide
ATM facilities at Katra. Many more banks including ICICI Bank,
UTI Bank are in the process of installing their ATMs here. The
J&K Bank and the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) have
their branches at Bhawan also.
Medical Facilities: -
While no specific medical certificate is needed to undertake
the Yatra, those suffering from heart, breathing or similar
ailments are advised to proceed with the Yatra only after due
medical checkup and advice. Cardiac, asthmatic and orthopedic
problems are known to get aggravated due to the strenuous
climb. To the medical needs of the yatries there is a block
hospital at Katra as well as a 24 hours charitable dispensary
run under the aegis of the Shrine Board. Emergency needs can
be taken care of by basic medical facilities at Banganga,
Adkuwari, Sanjichhat and Bhawan. Oxygen cylinders and
emergency drugs are also available. Specialized and advanced
medical treatment is however available only at
Jammu.
Holy Places
Enroute
Darshani
Darwaaza
The
entry gate to the track is around 1 km from the bus stand at a
point known as Darshani Deodhi (meaning entrance) or Darshani
Darwaza (meaning gate). Legend says that Mata Vaishno Devi met
Pandit Shridhar at this spot in the form of a girl child. This
is also known as Darshani Darwaza because from here one gets a
complete view of the Trikuta parbat (mountain). The term
Darshan stands for view; hence symbolically this is the first
Darshan of the Yatra. This spot is at 2800 feet above sea
level.
There are two gates at this point; the first or the
older gate leads to a flight of stairs; the second or the
newer one has been developed by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine
Board as a grand colonnaded porch with adequate parking for
private vehicles. The army assistance counter is also located
here.
One can either walk up to the Darshani Darwaza on
foot or hire an auto rickshaw. The charges are Rs. 5/- per
person on a sharing basis and Rs.15-20 for the full rickshaw.
If one has his own vehicle one can drive up to the new gate,
adjacent to the Darshani Darwaza and leave it parked there.
But one is strongly advised to lock it properly and to remove
all the valuables before leaving it behind. Parking is at the
owner’s risk.
The Shrine Board also runs a free bus
service to and fro from the bus stand to Darshani Darwaza.
This service runs at a frequency of half an hour. This
facility can also be availed of by the
pilgrims.
Banganga
After the Police Check Post and Yatra
Parchi Check Post, the pilgrims reach a small bridge under
which flows Banganga, the legendary river associated with the
miracles and legends of Mata. There is water in the river all
through the year except when there is an acute shortfall of
rain or snow during the monsoon and winter respectively. It is
considered sacred and as is normal Hindu tradition, devotees
like to bathe in it before proceeding further. In the changed
times, many pilgrims prefer to skip the traditional bath, but
those having the time or those who are traditionally inclined
and wish to follow the legends and traditions, would like to
have a dip before proceeding further. There are a couple of
Ghats built too, for this purpose. The first one is normally
very crowded and the other is comparatively more
spacious.
The name of this river comes from two terms, Ban
and Ganga. Ban means Arrow and Ganga stands for the sacred
river Ganges. It is believed that Mata Vaishno Devi, while on
her way to the Holy Cave, created this water body with an
arrow from her quiver, hence the name Banganga. It is also
said that she had taken a dip in it and had washed her hair
here. Thus some people also prefer to call it Bal Ganga, the
term Bal meaning hair in Hindi.
Adhkunwari
Around
500 mtrs. from Inderprastha and located at an altitude of 4800
feet is Adkuwari. One can get a glimpse of the fluttering flag
and temple spires and can hear continuous announcements from
the announcement booth much before actually reaching there.
Adkuwari is the half way mark on the track as it is situated
at a distance of nearly 6 kms. from Katra. The Holy Cave is
now nearly 6 km. away. Adkuwari is one of the most important
Darshans on the visit, second only to the main Darshans at the
Holy Cave.
The term Adkuwari is believed to have come from
Adi kumari, which means “The Eternal Virgin”. According to the
legend, when Vaishnavi, in the form of a small girl,
disappeared from the Bhandaara organized by Pandit Shridhar,
she halted at Banganga and Charan Paduka. From there she
reached Adkuwari, where, in a small womb shaped cave she
meditated and observed spiritual discipline (Tapasya) for nine
long months. The exact spot where she is believed to have
meditated is located at the right hand side inside the cave
and is shaped like a womb. Since Vaishnavi had observed
spiritual discipline in a womb shaped cave for a period of
nine months, this cave has become popular by the name of Garbh
Joon, which has come from the term Garbh Yoni meaning the
Womb. It is generally believed that by merely passing through
this cave, a devotee’s sins are cleansed and his soul becomes
pious again.When during her meditation She realized that
Bhairon Nath had approached the cave in Her search, She
created an exit at the other end with Her trident and
proceeded towards the Holy Cave.Since the cave is very narrow,
only one person can pass through it at a time. While the
entrance is comfortably broad, as one enters further one
starts wondering whether it would be possible for him to pass
through it or not. A prompt or a nudge from the person waiting
behind him, a remembrance of Mata in the hearts and on the
lips, and crawl by crawl, one is out of the cave, fully
recharged with an energy that definitely belongs to the other
world.Due to the narrowness of the cave, it takes hours
together for a yatri’s turn to come to pass through this cave.
Not more than 4000 pilgrims can pass through this cave in 24
hours. Thus pilgrims reaching Adkuwari who wish to pass
through the cave are issued a group number. Pilgrims are
required to take their group numbers and wait outside the
queue complex till their group number is announced or
displayed. Each group consists of 50 pilgrims. Once the first
group of 50 is cleared, the next group number is announced and
so on. Upon announcement of the group number, one has to
proceed to the queue complex and wait in queue for his turn to
enter the cave. There is also a small temple just outside the
exit route of the Holy Cave and after passing through the cave
one gets the Darshans at this temple before proceeding on the
onwards journey. Darshans at Adkuwari include Darshans of the
three Supreme Energies in an idol form, those of Nav Durga and
Bhakt Hanuman. However, yatries who wish to proceed to Bhawan
directly need not obtain any group number here. Their main
yatri slip is sufficient for the purpose.
Bhairon
Ghati
Bhairon temple
is the next halt for the pilgrims after visiting the holy
Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi Ji. This old temple is significant
from the point of view of a holy legend associated with the
Shrine. After beheading Bhairon Nath and after his profuse
repentance, the Almighty Mother Goddess forgave and blessed
him and granted him the boon that the Darshans of his temple
would be the final link of Her Great Pilgrimage. Thus, for the
full blessings of the journey to Mata Vaisno Deviji, Yatries
would have to pay obesiance at Bhairon temple on their
return.
