mata vaishno devi mandir
mata vaishno devi mandir
vaishno devi is amongst 51 shaktipeeths of Hindu religion.it is located in Katra district of Jammu & kashmir state . mandir is located on Trikuta Parvat and popularly called as Bhavan by the devotees. goddess vaishnavi ( vaishno mata) has power of 3 goddess Lakshmi ,Kali, Saraswati and that is why she is considered “the supreme goddess”. pilgrims take a long walk to see their idol.This is the second most visited Hindu pilgrimage in india and devotees from all over the world comes to visit this religious place and get the blessings of mata vaishno devi who fulfills all the wishes of her devotees.it is said that skull of devi SATI fell here. goddess here is in the form of 3 pindis.
history of mata vaishno devi
The holy cave of mata was said to have been discovered by pandit shridhar , who was a hindu priest. mata vaishno devi appeared in the dreams of pandit shridhar and instructed him on how to find her abode on Trikuta Hills. shridhar followed her instructions told in dream,started his journey towards Trikuta Hills and found the cave . Mata appeared to him and blessed him with four sons. she also appointed her the custodian to this holy cave.Even today his descendants are fulfilling their duties well.
For first time travellers:
There are some important things to be taken care of before start of your first journey to this pilgrimage.
1. you should choose summers instead of winters as you are heading to the mountains. if you want to escape crowd you should avoid special time of the year like Navratri ,New Years Eve, Summer Vacation. Though i am advising you to choose summers over winters you should avoid summer vacation part of the summers when students are free after their End Term.
2. whatever season you choose to go ,you should carry proper clothing .carry gloves,scarves, woollens during winter travel.umbrella or raincoat in all seasons (you can expect rain anytime).And Do Not Forget to carry comfortable shoes. it is Must Have thing.
3. after entering Katra you will need to register yourself for the Yatra at Yatra Registration Counter. This process is free. Even your hotel staff will assist you for it.Once you get the registration slip (Yatra Parchi) , you will have to cross the first check post which is at Banganga within 6 hours of issuance of the Yatra Parchi.
4.now after crossing Banganga you have options . one option is to take trek of 12 kms as the Bhavan lies at the altitude of 5200 feet ( carrying comfortable shoes was advised ).if you do not want to walk you can take another option of climbing steep stairs (not advised for old, sick and persons with breathing issues) Third option is to take Pony rides/ Doli rides. They have fixed rates but you can try a bargain . Doli ride is costlier than Pony ride.
5. you can take a pre online booked helicopter services as well which will land at Sanjhichatt which is approx 2.5 kms away from Bhawan .From Sanjhichatt you can walk .In the middle of the journey you will find the Ardhkuwari Temple which is must visit for the followers of mata rani.
6.You will get lot of eateries , bhojanalaya throughout the route.you will find a Caffe Coffee Day there.
7. when you will finish your trek and reach the top, you will have to face lot of crowd which is waiting to enter bhawan in a queue.you will need to join them in a line. For your comfort you will get free and rented accommodation centers ,vegetarian restaurants, a very familiar Sagar Ratna , a medical unit,blanket stores, cloakrooms and shops selling prasad and chunri.if you want to offer Nariyal to mata there is a coconut collection centre on a way to bhawan.you can submit your coconut at this place. you will be given a receipt ,after compleing your darshan you can get back coconut as prasad after showing receipt .
8.on your return way you will see a small Hanuman Temple.
9.From here you should plan to go to Bhairav Nath Temple which is located 2kms above from this temple without which your darshan to matarani will not be considered complete. during day time you will get Ropeway Trolley facility for bhairav baba temple .Ropeway charges rupees 100.
GETTING THERE
By Railways : Nearest station is Katra railway station
By Air : Jammu airport (satwari airport) is the nearest airport, at a distance of 48 kms.
please refer to the video attached from khamkha vlogger .This will tell you about process followed ,charges of ponies ,formalities done and time taken for the whole journey.