Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple - Katra

Shri Maa Vaishno Devi Temple is one of the oldest Temple of India, located at a height of 5300 feet on the holy Trikuta Hills of the Shivalik Hill Range. It is not only one of the most visited temples but also it is one of the shaktipeetas in india.The words "maa" and "mata" are commonly used in India for "mother", and thus are often used in connection with Vaishno Devi.The journey to the Holy Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji starts with the Call of Mata. It is not only a belief but also a strong experience of one and all that the Divine Mother sends a call to her children.

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji resides in a Holy Cave located in the folds of the three peaked mountain named Trikuta (pronounced as Trikoot). The Holy Cave attracts millions of devotees every year.The cave has the images of three deities viz. the Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati. The Holy Cave of the Mother is situated at an altitude of 5200 ft. The Yatris have to undertake a trek of nearly 12 km from the base camp at Katra. 

History :

This temple has history of 700 years

Legends :

There are several legends associated with this  temple 

One of them which explains and signifies the emergence of all the holy places on the Trikuta hill, starts with the penance of Young and beautiful Vaishnavi. She was a staunch devotee of Lord vishnu. One Tantric called Bhairo nath, attracted towards this girl and started chasing her on her way to the Trikuta hill. Vaishno devi, realising this fact started climbing the hill speedily. As she became thirsty on her way, she shot an arrow and the lake Banganga was formed. she then started walking again. After a while she stopped at one place and turned to see whether the Tantric is still follwing her or not. the place where she stopped is known as Charan Paduka today. then she went ahead and started meditating inside a cave which is known as Andhkawari. It took Bhairo nath, nearly nine months to locate Vaishno Devi in that cave. Therefore, this cave is also known as Garbha joon. When Vaishno Devi saw Bhairo nath nearing the cave she with one blow opened the other side of the cave and escaped. Reaching another cave, which today is called Mata ka Darbar or the Main cave where the three pindis are located, Mata Vaishno Devi took the avatara of Mahakali and cut off Bhairo nath's head, which flung up the mountain and fell close to the Darbar cave. Today the place is known as Bhairo nath temple. It is said that the big boulder lying at the entrance of Darbar cave is the body of Bhairo nath. As Mata Vaishno Devi is known for her forgiveness, she is also said to have blesssed Bhairo nath and supposed to have granted him a boon that the pilgrimage to her abode on the Trikuta hill will not be complete unless and untill the devotee does not pay homage at the Bhairo nath temple.

There are several other legends connected with the place. A popular one amongst them is the legend of Shridhar's vision. According to the legend, Sridhar was a poor Brahmin who lived in village Hansali near Katra about seven hundred years ago. Sridhar was had no child and therefore, he ardently worshipped the goddess hoping to get a child of his own. As a part of his daily ritual he performed 'Kanya-Pujan' to please the goddess. One day while Sridhar was performing the 'Kanya-Pujan' a girl who looked did not seem from his village appeared and told him to hold a Bhandara (community meal) for all the villagers the next day. The girl assured him that by performing the same all his cherished dreams shall come true. Saying so the mysterious girl disappeared. Sridhar was mystified by the strange appearance of the unknown girl and decided to do as asked for by the girl inspite of the fact that he was a very poor Brahmin. He invited not only every villager for the Bhandara but also Guru Gorakhnath and his disciples whom it was believed that not even Lord Indra had been able to satisfy. When the fateful day dawned, the worried Sridhar was relived to see the strange girl again, who instructed him to ask each and every invitee to get seated in the small little hut of Sridhar. To the utter disbelief of Sridhar as the invitees started to take their place inside the small hut, there always seemed to be some space for few more people. After every one was seated the girl herself began to serve the food of their choice to everyone. Seated among the guests was a disciple of guru Gorakhnath named Bhairon Nath who on his turn asked the holy girl to serve him meat and wine. When the girl refused to provide him these items in the house of a Brahamin, Bhairon Nath tried to grab her hand. The girl immediately with her powers disappeared from the scene and proceeded to the mighty Trikuta Hills. Bhairon Nath in order ascertain the reality of this mysterious girl and to put to test her powers, started following her. The holy girl passed through Banganga, Charan-Paduka, Ardhkwari, and then reached the holiest of the holy cave situated amidst the folds of the Trikuta-hills. When Bhairon Nath continued to follow her despite the the girl (who was the goddess) trying to avoid a confrontation,she was compelled to kill him. Bhairon Nath met his ultimate fate when the goddess, just outside the mouth of the cave, beheaded him. The severed head of the Bhairon Nath fell with a force at a distant hilltop. The Bhairon Nath upon death realised the futility of his mission and asked her to forgive him. The almighty 'Mata' had mercy on Bhairon and gave him a boon that every devotee of the goddess would have to receive his Darshans after receiving darshan of the goddess and only then would the yatra of a devotee be considered complete.

In the meantime, Sridhar was depressed by the whole episode and in a fit of despair renounced food and started fasting. One day he had a dream of the same girl who told him that she was Vaishno Devi and showed him the vision of her cave and also blessed him with the boon of four sons. Sridhar, happy once again, set out in search of the cave, and after finding it he decided to spend the rest of his life at the foot of this cave in worship of the deity. Soon the fame of the holy cave spread, and the devotees began to flock it to pay their homage to the mighty Goddess.

Darshan :

Towards the right of the devotee is the Holy Pindi of Mata Maha Kali (the Supreme Energy of Dissolution) in the colour associated with Her i.e. black. The Supreme Energy of dissolution is Mata Maha Kali. She represents the Tam Guna- the quality associated with the darker and unknown realms of life. Tam stands for darkness.

In the centre is the Holy Pindi of Mata Maha Lakshmi (the Supreme Energy of Maintenance) with a yellowish-red tinge, the colour associated with Mata Maha Lakshmi. Mata Maha Lakshmi is the Supreme Energy of Maintenance. She represents Rajas Guna- the quality of inspiration and effort, and is considered to be the basic source of wealth, prosperity, material gains, quality of life etc

The Pindi to the extreme left of the viewer is worshipped as the Holy Pindi of Mata Maha Saraswati (the Supreme Energy of Creation). It has a whitish tinge when looked at attentively. White has also been considered the colour associated with Mata Maha Saraswati. Being the Supreme force of Creation, Mata Maha Saraswati is considered to be the basic source of all Creation, Knowledge, Wisdom, Righteousness, Art, Spiritualism, Piousness etc.She represents the Satva Guna- the quality of purity. 

Other Darshans :

There are other Darshans in the Bhawan area as well. These include Darshans of Lord Shiva’s Shivling in a cave, Mata Durga, Lord Shiv, Shri Ram with Sita and Lakshman, Lord Hanuman etc. These Darshans are in temples situated at different point of the Bhawan complex. Signboards have been put up at Bhawan to guide the yatries as to the location of these temples. In addition, there are Yagyashalas in the Bhawan complex where Yagyas and Havans are preformed round the year and especially during the Navratras. The main Yagyashala is situated at Saraswati Bhawan.  

Aarti Timings :

The 'Aarti' of the Goddess is performed twice a day first time in the morning just before the sunrise and second time in the evening immediately after the sunset. 

How To reach :

By Air  Jammu is well connected to the rest of India by air. Both Indian Airlines and Jet Airways operate daily flights to Jammu. The average flying time from New Delhi is about 80 minutes.

By Train  One can also reach Jammu by rail. Jammu is connected to other parts of country on broad gauge and numerous passenger trains ply from various parts of the country to Jammu. In the peak season of summer and other holidays, the Railways introduce special trains for Jammu for the comfort of the Yatris. Many superfast trains also ply on this route and one can reach Jammu overnight from New Delhi.

By Road  Jammu is well connected through road also to rest of India. National Highway No. 1A passes through Jammu towards Srinagar. Regular bus services from all major North Indian cities are available for Jammu as well as Katra. Many standard and deluxe buses of various State Road Transport Corporations as well as private operators connect Jammu with important cities and towns of North India.