Vaishno Devi Yatra - A trek to meet the divine Goddess

1. Vaishno Devi Yatra 01 A trek to meet the divine Goddess www.sikhtours.in

2. This sacred shrine of the Divine Mother is hidden in a beautiful ancient cave high on the sacred Trikoota Mountain. The divine Mother rests in this place in the sublime form of Vaishno Mata, who is believed to embody Goddess Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati. • To visit all these places and experience the divine power of God 02 Vaishno Devi Yatra is the only way.

3. History of Vaishno Mata The temple of Mata Vaishno Devi is very ancient, according to the study of geologists. Legend has it that Mata Vaishno Devi had incarnated as a beautiful princess in Treta Yuga as the Shakti of Mother Parvati.

4. Vaishno Mata According to the sacred scriptures, before the great war between the Kurus and the Pandavas began in Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna advised Arjuna to worship Goddess Durga to obtain her grace. During his prayers, Arjun addresses the Divine Mother as " Jambookatak Chityaishu Nityam Sannihitalaye", which translates to "you who always dwell in the temple on the slope of the mountain in Jamboo".

5. The shrine opens at 5 am every morning for darshan and closes after 10 pm. If you are aiming for morning darshan, always expect a long queue of devotees after 11.AM, the crowd of devotees, waiting in line for darshan thins out. Free bathing and toilet facilities for both men and women are available outside the main shrine area. These days various tour and travel companies offer Vaishno Devi Tour Packages to make Yatra comfortable and smoothing. • Vaishno Devi Temple hours

6. Hotels near Vaishno Devi temple • Hotels and guest houses are available in sufficient numbers at the base camp in Katra. Be sure to book in advance, especially if you are travelling in the high season between April and September. • Best time to visit Vaishno devi temple? Vaishno Devi is open to pilgrims all year round, but the best time to go is between March and October. Many pilgrims visit Vaishno Devi between these months as the weather is cool and pleasant, but most visitors plan their trip during the Navratras.

7. How to reach Vaishno Devi? Onward journey from Jammu • Once you reach Jammu, you need to move forward towards Katra. If you are travelling through a bus, train or air, you need to get another bus or private taxi to reach Katra. You can reach the temple from the town of Katra, which lies at the foot of the mountain, about 12 km away, by trekking, pony riding or helicopter flight. At Katra • It will take 2 hours for you to reach Katra from Jammu. Now you can explore the city, and then you can start your trek to Vaishno Devi temple. You can visit various temples in Katra like Baba Dhansar, Bhoomika Mandir, Deva Mai, and Nau Devi temple. Here are the complete details:

8. Things to do in Vaishno Devi Yatra • Feel eternity at the Ardh Kuwari Cave • Take a trip to Dera Baba Banda • Buy some souvenirs • Experience the goosebumps at Bhairavnath Temple • Go trekking to Deva Mai

9. Other shrines near Vaishno Devi During your Vaishno Devi Yatra, you can explore other attraction points of the nearby mountains and holy shrines. • The first one is Banganga, which is 1 kilometre away from Katra. Here one can take a holy dip in the river and avail of the Langer service (free food) • The Charanpaduka Temple is the second stop, about 2.5 kilometres from Banganga. It is said that the goddess rested here for a while before travelling to Trikuta Hills • Adkuwari is located at a distance of about 3 kilometres from Charanpaduka. This point is halfway to the Vaishno Devi shrine. Devotees usually spend the night here before proceeding to the shrine.

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