Vaishno Devi – Proceed on the Sublime Journey

If faith can move up above the lofty mountains, then go with faith and scale those tough mountains, that is asked of you. The ‘divine call’ of Goddess Vaishno Devi draws scores of devotees to ascend steep pathways and serpentine queues through snow-covered mountains and lush green forests around, to the sacred and mystical shrine. A common belief is found that when Mata Vaishno Devi sends a ‘Call’ to her devotees, then pilgrims finds themselves compelled to move towards the holy shrine of Vaishno Devi, chanting ‘Jai Mata Di’.

Hindus belief that anyone who walks the Himalayan trail to shrine of Vaishno Devi, to seek a boon does not return disappointed. Shrine of Mata Vaishno resides in a holy cave in the shape of three natural rock formations called Pindies. Nestling on top of the Trikuta hill at a height of 1,700 mt is the sacred cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi. Situated at a distance of 61 km from Jammu, the cave is 30 mts long and just 1.5 mt high. Interestingly there are no statues or idols inside the holy cave, while at the end of the cave are shrines dedicated to the three forms of the mother Goddess namely Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasarasvati.
Pilgrims can enter inside the shrine in small groups through a narrow opening.

The aarti is performed twice a day at the shrine. The pujaris (priests) perform aarti before the holy deity, first inside the sanctum sanctorum and then outside the cave. The jyoti (divine lamp) is lighted and the puja thaali used in aarti is brought outside the holy cave. After the bhajan, the chief priest comes out from inside the sanctum and distributes prasad and charanamrit to the devotees. Rejuvenated with the aarti, the devotees rush to the cave for a darshan of the pindies. It is believed a privilege to have a darshan (glimpse) during the auspicious days of Navratra.

Essential Amenities Available for Pilgrims on Way to Shrine
For making the yatra a comfortable and satisfying experience the Shrine Board and the state government have made essential arrangements for pilgrim on way to shrine. On the entire stretch from Banganga to Bhawan, over 70 shelter sheds have been constructed, the path is inlaid with tiles and illuminated with vapour lamps. At regular distances over 100 toilet blocks with over 600 seats, including Western type seats have been constructed.


Around 125 water points and 50 water coolers have been installed on the trek to provide clean drinking water to the pilgrims. Along the route at vantage viewpoints around 20 restaurants have been constructed. Well-equipped medical centres and shops selling toiletries, provision items, camera rolls, medicines, shoes, caps, raincoats, walking sticks and eatables can be found along the trek route. Banks, police stations and post offices can be found at important locations.

Reaching the Vaishno Devi Shrine
Katra the base camp is about 50 km from Jammu and 650 km from Delhi. From Katra, Vaishno Devi shrine is 13 km up. Buses and taxis are available to Katra from Jammu at regular intervals. A walk along the pleasant and relatively easy mountain path takes you from Katra (2,500 ft) to Saanjhi Chhat (6,200 ft), from where you descend to 5,200 ft where Bhavan, the shrine complex is situated.

Air Deccan helicopter service connects Katra with Saanjhi Chhat, the highest point in the mountain trek. From Saanjhi Chhat the routes get divided to Bhawan and Bhairon Mandir. One should keep in mind that from the helipad, Bhawan is about 2 kms away, and it is difficult to find any other means to cover that distance.

Another option is the battery operated van from Adhkuwari, which runs from the midpoint of the Yatra, after one has covered the initial distance of 6 km by traditional means. The other option is the traditional palki (palanquin) carried by four persons.

On a Spiritual Journey in India

Spirituality has a very old link with India and one can experience the divine peace by visiting the pilgrimage destinations of the country. As India has been the land of the Hindus and they comprises majority of the population, hence most of the pilgrimage centres are linked to them. Some of the famous religious centres of India include Amarnath, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Chardham, Allahabad, Varanasi and Tirupati.

Amarnath (Jammu & Kashmir) : Located in Kashmir valley, Amarnath is considered to be one of the important dhams (pilgrims) of Hindus. Amarnath cave temple houses an ice Shivlinga that changes size with changing seasons and also as the moon shines and fades it becomes bigger and smaller. On the full moon day the linga attains 6ft height and each year on the full moon day of Sravana month, a festival is held at this cave temple. Amarnath Yatra, one of the most important holy pilgrimages takes place during the festival.

Rishikesh (Uttarakhand) : Rishikesh is one of the best located pilgrimage centre along the bank of holy river Ganga close to Haridwar. An incredible experience of natural beauty and undiscovered wildlife await here in Rishikesh. At Rishikesh, the peace and tranquility of a landscape associated with munis (priests) and meditation are an added bonus. Today, Rishikesh has become a major centre for learning and research in yoga and meditation, the noted Indian methods for mental and physical health. Each year in February, the one week long International Yoga Festival is held here for one week. The rope-bridge ‘Lakshman Jhoola’ is the landmark of the town, other attractions of Rishikesh are the school of Yoga and Meditation and white water rafting camp at Shivpuri.

Haridwar (Uttarakhand): Haridwar literally meaning ‘the gateway to the Gods’ is situated at the foot of the Himalayas. Situated at the point where the river Ganga descends to the plain, Haridwar is a gateway to the four pilgrimages of Uttarakhand. An ancient city, Haridwar houses a number of temples dedicated to Vishnu and other gods. Every evening in Haridwar is celebrated with the traditional aarti at Har ki Pauri. During Kumbh Mela thousands of pilgrims visit the town for the ritual bath in the river Ganges.

Chardham (Uttarakhand) : Chardham are four places of sacred importance for Hindus in the Himalayas. Chardham includes the holy sites of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, all located at altitude more than 3,000 mts. Traditionally the devotes begins the pilgrimage at the temple to west, Yamunotri and finish the circle going eastwards to Badrinath.

Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) : Since ancient times, Allahabad is known as Prayag and is renowned for the Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years. The world famous festival commemorates a mythical event, where are the time of the churning of the Ocean, devas (Gods) disputed with the asuras (demons) over the pot (kumbha) that contained the nectar of immortality (amrita), which emanated from the churning. Allahabad town is also known the convergence of the three rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) : Varanasi also called Benaras is one of the oldest cities of the world and home to a number of temples including the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The culminating waters of the holy river Ganges, the echo of prayers, the lights of diyas provide a magical sight to the town. Varanasi has many ghats, where pilgrims descend down the stairs for the ritual bath and perform the most sacred oblations and rites in the most picturesque environs.

Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) : Tirupati is known all over the world for Balaji temple and other impressive temples. Tirumala, nested amidst the seven hill in the Eastern Ghats is home to Lord Venkateshwara Temple which is magnum opus of Dravidian architecture. Other famous shrines in Tirupati town are Govindarajaswamy, Kodanda Ramaswamy, Tiruchanur, Srinivasa Mangapuram and Kapila Theertham. Also visit the lovely Kalisantha Kona natural waterfalls in the valley of Nilgiri hills. After visiting the temples, visit the Chandragiri Fort and discover the relics of palaces and temples.