Vaishno Devi Temple Tours

Vaishno Devi Mata (The Deity)
Vaishno Devi Mata the Goddess is the supreme power who can accomplish and fulfill everything that a devotee ask and wishes for in life, in a chaste way. It is a strong believe that no one is sent vacant handed from Mata's darbar (shrine).
An excursion to the sacred temple of Mata Vaishno Devi is an engaging journey of the places where Mata Vaishnavi had perceived various spiritual discipline and atonement. The zenith of the journey is at the divine cave where the Goddess transfigured into the human configuration with the help of the 3 ultimate powers.
The manifestation of Goddess Shakti the Vaishno Devi abode in the shrine called Vaishno Devi Temple, represented in the form of five and half feet tall rock structure and Pindies or heads. Legend has it that goddess Vaishno, in order to unite with Lord Vishnu to achieve her karma was born as Vaishnavi in the house of Ratnakar.

The Holy Shrine of Vaishno Devi
Crowning on the Trikuta Mountain at a height of 5, 300 ft. Mata Vaishno Devi Temple is the most visited pilgrimage centers in India. The shrine of Vaishno Devi is tunneled out of the Himalayan Mountains in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The gateway to temple has a stretch of 13 km that has to be covered on foot by the devotees. This cave temple is situated at a distance of 61 km from Jammu. The pilgrims have to pass through the cave a cramped tunnel with a running stream called as Charan Ganga to reach the holy sanctorum.
Thousand of devotees visit the temple all the year round irrespective of their cast and creed. Even in winter season when the by-pass is generally obstructed by snowfall there is no stoppage of pilgrims, thronging the site.

The Significance of the Temple
The temple of Vaishno Devi Mata is most divine as it treasures the holy Pindis manifesting Mata in her three forms: Maha Kali represents Tam Guna : Tam depicts darkness and unhappiness. Maha Lakshmi represents Raj Guna: Raj depicts subsistence, well being and blissfulness. Maha Saraswati represents Satva Guna : Satva depicts fairness, devoutness and honor. An articulation of these three emotions form a unique Shakti (power) known as Mata Vaishno Devi that makes her worshiped through out the world.

The Pad Yatra the most Divine Journey
The Pad Yatra begins at Katra that stretches up to 13km along rough rugged terrain. Banganga is a place where Mata quenched her thirst 1km from Katra and at the distance of 6km lies the holy cave at Adhkawari also visited by the devotees. The pilgrims normally cover the distance to the temple on foot, there is also provision to hire a pony or a horse for those who are ill and old. All the way the devotees are fed with shelters and bhandaras (free eating joints) with pure vegetarian food along with facilities of coolers for drinking water.

Other important Information
Blankets can also be obtained on refundable deposit for Rs.100.
The Darshan Prasada, Chunri and Coconuts can be obtained 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 sunrise and during evenings at sun set, normally it takes two hours for the Aarti to be completed, during this period the premises are closed for the pilgrims. Whole shrine echoes with the holy sounds of chanting mantras followed by uttering 108 names of Durga-Ma.

Accommodation
At Katra, Yatri Niwas managed by the Shrine Board, Rest Houses maintained by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department are available. Dharamshalas with nominal charges are run by various organizations offering simple facilities to the pilgrims. Free accommodations (sarais) are also available on the way.

Mode of Transport
Air: Jammu is the nearest airport 48km from Katra, helicopter service can also be obtained from the airport at Sanjhi Chat in Jammu in the morning.

Train: The nearest railway station is in Jammu. Tourist buses and taxis run frequently from the railway station for the Vaishno Devi.

Road: There are regular buses from the central bus stand in Jammu. Katra the gateway to the shrine is situated at an altitude of 2,800 feet takes about 2 hours to reach from Jammu by bus. Katra is 48 km from Jammu, 650 km from Delhi 520 km from Udhampur, 410 km from Chandigarh and 80 km from Patnitop.