Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine

This holy shrine of the Divine Mother is tucked into a beautiful, ancient cave high up on the sacred Trikoota Mountain. The Divine Mother rests at this place in the exalted form of Vaishno Mata who is believed to be an embodiment of Goddess Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati. Held with utmost regard by the Shaktas (worshippers of God as Divine Mother), the pious and blessed shrine of Vaishno Mata is one of the rare Shakti Peethas or abode of supreme power in the Indian subcontinent.

History of Vaishno Mata The temple of Mata Vaishno Devi is very ancient according to the study conducted by the geologists. Legend has it that Mata Vaishno Devi had incarnated as a beautiful princess in Treta Yuga as a Shakti of Mother Parvati, Saraswati and Lakshmi for the welfare of mankind. She performed penances in the cave on Trikuta Mountain. When the time came, her body merged into the astral form of the three divine energies – Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati.

Her ardent devotee – Shridhar Of all the popular legends of Mata Vaishno Devi, the most recent one is that of her ardent devotee, Shridhar, who lived about seven centuries ago. Shridhar and his wife were very devoted to the Mother Goddess. Once, Shridhar received a divine command in his dream to organise a bhandhara (public feast) in Her honour. Owing to his humble financial status, Shridhar failed to procure sufficient groceries for the public feast. He worried about the shame and guilt he shall be subject for failing to feed the guests the following day. Unable to sleep a wink the whole night, Shridhar resigned himself to destiny. As the sun rose in the firmament, villagers began arriving at the modest dwelling of Shridhar to partake of the feast. To Shridhar’s surprise, Goddess Vaishnavi appeared in his hut in the form of a little girl and by Her Will, the feast was prepared and served to the villagers. The villagers had their fill of the food except Bhairon Nath, who was one of the guests. When he demanded a meal of animal meal from Shridhar, Vaishno Mata refused to oblige Bhairon Nath on Shridhar’s behalf. Refusing to accept defeat and insult, Bhairon tried to catch hold of the divine girl, but failed to do so. Lo and behold! The girl vanished. This incident left other shocked, and Shridhar grief-stricken. He longed and pined to have darshan of His Mother. One night, Vaishno Mata appeared in Shridhar’s dream and showed him a way to a cave on Trikuta Mountain which houses her ancient shrine. Shridhar gladly did as told, discovered the holy shrine and devoted his life to her service. Later, the word spread everywhere about the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi.

Vaishno Mata
According to the holy writ, before the great war between the Kurus and the Pandavas was about to begin in Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna advised Arjuna to worship Goddess Durga to obtains her grace. During his prayers, Arjun Arjun addresses the Divine Mother as ‘Jambookatak Chityaishu Nityam Sannihitalaye’, which translates into ‘you who always dwell in the temple on the slope of the mountain in Jamboo’ (‘Jamboo’ comes from Jamboodweep, also refers to, India and its surrounding lands in ancient times). Pleased with his devotion, the Divine Mother grants Arjun the boon of victory over his enemies. It is also believed that the Pandavas have visited the shrine of Vaishno Devi on Trikuta mountain.

The divine call…
It is a belief held in sacred regard by the devotees of Divine Mother that unless She beckons you to visit her, it is impossible to have her darshan. The bulawa (or Divine Call) to receive blessings of the Mother is all that is needed and the rest will be taken care of by Her. Therefore, high or low, wise or ignorant, men or women await Her bulawa.
The way to the shrine…
Pilgrims and ardent devotees of the Mother Goddess brave the arduous 24 kilometre long trek (to and fro) to reach the shrine that is always brimming with overwhelming divine vibrations. The journey to the shrine starts at Ban Ganga in Katra which is believed to have sprung up from the earth when Vaishno Mata shot up an arrow from her divine bow many centuries ago. The trek is tough, but the roof covered paths, stairways, water coolers, seating areas, pantries and food shops provided by the Shrine Board through the course is a respite for weary travellers in their endeavour to climb uphill or reach downhill.

Vaishno Devi Temple Timings
The shrine opens for darshan at 5. AM every morning and closes after 10.PM. Facing a serpentine queue of devotees is always a possibility if you are striving for the morning darshan. Post 11.AM, the crowd of devotees waiting in line for darshan gets thinner. Free of cost bath and toilet facilities for both men and women are available outside the main shrine area.
Hotels near Vaishno Devi Temple
Tourists and pilgrims can avail the free of charge dharamshala facility available around the main shrine area. Payment of a nominal sum for the upkeep of the dharamshala is appreciated, but not imposed. Hotels and guests houses are available in sufficient numbers at the base camp in Katra. Make sure you make prior bookings, more so, if you are making a trip during peak season between April to September.