Vaishno Devi

Vaishno Devi is the most famous shrine in India rather all over the globe. Her glories spread far and wide. The Vaishno Devi shrine is in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, specifically in the Jammu region of Katra. One goes to have the blessed darshan of mother Vaishno Devi only when her bulawa i.e., the call comes. This applies to people who have not planned to visit her too.

The shrine stands in a beautiful, ancient cave high up atop the sacred Trikuta mountain in Jammu. The temple was managed by the royal dynasty of the Jammu region. It slowly slipped into the hands of a trust under the government of the region post Indian independence.

The Vaishno Devi Temple finds mention in the Great Mahabharata, where Lord Krishna advised Arjuna to meditate in the Vaishno Devi and took Her blessings. Prahlada Maharaja had visited Vaishno Devi Temple while on a pilgrimage. The temple was originally constructed by the Pandavas.

The temple is revered as a shakti peetha. Many devotees believe that the skull of Sati Devi fell here while others believe that the right hand fell in this place. The shrine has a historical significance and lilas attached to it dating back centuries.

Who is Vaishno Devi?

Vaishno Devi is the combined form of Mahalakshmi Devi, Mahasaraswati Devi, and Mahakali Devi. She was ordered by the three Devis to take birth in the house of their devout devotees Ratnakar and his wife in southern India. She was told that she would merge into the body of Lord Maha Vishnu later.

As ordered, Vaishno Devi incarnated in the house of Ratnakar and his wife as a beautiful child with the combined shakti of Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Kali. They named the child Vaishnavi. Little Vaishnavi was interested in self-realization and spiritual knowledge right from the childhood, unlike other children who would play with their mates all time.

Vaishno Devi meets Lord Rama

Realizing that tapasya was the only way to bring her close to her objective of merging with Lord Maha Vishnu, she left her homely comforts and went deep into the forest. In the forest, Vaishnavi met Lord Rama, who was living in the forest as part of His fourteen-year exile. She recognized Lord Rama as the incarnation of Lord Maha Vishnu and so requested the Lord to allow her to merge into His body.

Lord Rama refused so saying that He was searching out for His beloved wife Sita Devi and that he would meet her after His exile period. True to His words Lord Ramachandra visited her as promised. But Vaishnavi couldn’t recognize the Lord in the form of an old man. Lord Rama consoled her saying that the time wasn’t ripe yet to fulfill her objective. He told her that He would fulfill her desire when He would appear as Kalki in Kali-yuga.

Bhairon Nath attacks Vaishnavi

He also asked her to travel to the Trikuta mountains in the northern region of India and set up her ashram there. Vaishnavi did as instructed and reached the base of Trikuta hills with great hardship. Vaishnavi began meditating at the base of the Trikuta hills and this attracted a lot of people. Mahayogi Guru Goraksh Nath Ji, who was aware of the conversation between Lord Rama and Vaishnavi sent his disciple Bhairon Nath to find out the level of her spiritual advancement.

Bairon Nath, who observed Vaishnavi secretly saw that she always carried a bow and arrows and was always surrounded by apes and a ferocious lion. He became enamored by the beauty of Vaishnavi and was pestering her to marry him, forgetting the order of his guru.

In the meantime, Pandit Sridhar, a devotee organized a Bhandara i.e., community meal in honor of Vaishnavi. Guru Goraksh Natha and his disciple Bhairon Nath were invited to the Bhandara. Bhairon Nath attempted to grab Vaishnavi but she managed to resist him. As he was persistent to get her, Vaishnavi fled into the mountains to continue her penances without any disturbances. Bhairon Nath chased her.

Vaishnavi Devi reached a cave after halting briefly at Ban Ganga, Charan Paduka, and Adkwari. Bhairon Nath persistently followed her to the cave and was finally beheaded by Vaishnavi Devi. The severed head fell on a hilltop at a distance.

Bhairon Nath, who realized his mistake after death prayed to Devi for forgiveness. Vaishnavi Devi blessed him with the boon that a pilgrimage to her cave would be complete only after the darshan of Bairon Nath’s shrine where his head fell.

Vaishnavi becomes Vaishno Devi

Vaishnavi Devi transformed into a five and a half feet tall rock with three heads or Pindies, as called locally. These Pindies form the sanctum sanctorum of the Vaishno Devi temple as seen today. The left Pindi is Mahasaraswathi Devi, the central Pindi is Mahalakshmi Devi, and the right Pindi is Mahakali Devi. Mata Vaishno Devi is the incarnation of these three Goddesses combined. The Charan Ganga flows beneath the Pindis.

Pandit Sridhar’s devotion to Vaishno Devi

Pandit Sridhar was a staunch devotee of Vaishno Devi. The most popular legend is that he used to live in the village of Hansali at the foot of the Trikuta mountain adjacent to modern-day Katra in Jammu and Kashmir.

Even though poor, he undertook the task of organizing a Bhandara i.e., community meal festival after being inspired and assured by Vaishno Devi who appeared in his dream one night. He selected an auspicious date for the Bhandara and went to invite people from all the neighboring villages.

Pandit Sridhar went to his neighbors and acquaintances seeking raw food materials like grains, vegetables, etc., to organize the Bhandara. Some people gave him and some refused saying that he was doing such a big task when he didn’t have the resources to do so. The Pandit was worried as to how he could make the event a success.

On the night before the Bhandara, Pandit Sridhar couldn’t sleep well due to worries about the success of the Bhandara. He got up the next morning and started his pujas outside his house. By mid-day, the guests started coming and accommodating themselves inside his house.

Surprisingly, there was space left in his small house, even though many people had arrived and were still arriving. After his pujas, when he looked around, he saw Vaishno Devi coming out of his house. He came to know that all the people were well fed despite other problems. Pandit Sridhar was curious to know the secret behind the success of the Bhandara and so asked Vaishno Devi about the same. But she never gave him a reply.

One fine day, Vaishno Devi came in his dream and showed him the path to reach her dwelling place along with a boon of four sons. The Pandit found the cave and decided to spend the rest of his life worshipping the Goddess. After this, Vaishno Devi became famous with people from all over coming to visit her.

Places to visit in Vaishno Devi

Ban Ganga

This holy river is the beginning of the Vaishno Devi yatra. It is said that Vaishno Devi stopped here to quench the thirst of the monkeys who accompanied her. She shot an arrow into the ground which caused water to start flowing. Vaishno Devi also washed her hair in the waters of the Ban Ganga. Hence, the river is also called Bal Ganga.

Charan Paduka

This holy spot contains the divine footprints of Vaishno Devi imprinted on a rock slab. It is located at 1.5 kms from Ban Ganga at an altitude of 3380 ft.

Adkhwari or Ardha Kumari

At this holy spot is a holy cave where Vaishno Devi is said to have hidden from Bhairon Nath for nine months. She curled up as an unborn child in a mother’s womb. Hence, the cave is also called Garbhjun.

Festivals celebrated at Vaishno Devi Temple

The main festivals celebrated at the Vaishno Devi shrine are Diwali and Navratri. The Navratri festival is celebrated grandly over nine days. The unique aspect is the Shat Chandi Maha Yagya which begins on the first day and ends with the Purnahuti on the last day. The entire shrine and adjoining areas are decorated beautifully with flowers on this occasion.

Best time to visit Vaishno Devi Temple

March to June and September to October is the best time to visit Vaishno Devi though the shrine is open throughout the year. The weather is cool and pleasant during this period. Navratri is when the maximum number of pilgrims arrive.

Vaishno Devi Temple timings

The temple is open from 5 AM in the morning to 10 PM in the night.

How to reach Vaishno Devi Temple

The best way to travel to Vaishno Devi is to travel with Tirtha Yatra in a group package or family private package. We take care of end-to-end needs of your travel.

To reach Vaishno Devi, one has to get down at Katra in Jammu & Kashmir. There are different ways of reaching Katra –

By Land: There are regular state transport buses from Jammu to Katra and back. You can hire a cab too from Jammu.

By Rail: The nearest railway station is Udhampur which is well-connected to major cities in India. You can get cabs or taxis from the railway station to Katra.

By Air: Jammu Airport is the nearest airport to Katra located at a distance of 50 km. The airport is well-connected to the major airports in India. You can hire a cab or take a state transport/private A/C deluxe bus from Jammu to Katra after landing at the Jammu airport.