Vaishnodevi
The sacred cave shrine of Vaishno devi is 13kms from Katra nestling on the top of Trikuta Hills. Vaishno Devi is the mother goddess in its three forms Mahakali,Mahalaxmi,and
Mahasaraswati. Its at a distance of 61 kms from jammu,and the cave is 30 metre long and one and a half metres high. Pilgrims enter in small groups thorugh narrow opening walk thorugh ice cold waters to reach the shrine. According to legend,the mother goddess hid in the cave while escaping a demon,whom she ultimately killed. Now due to the heavy rush of devotees to the shrine an artifical cave has also been built near the old natural cave.
Journey to Vaishnodevi
The journey for Vaishnodevi starts from Katra. From
Katra pilgrims climb one km to Balganga, where goddess is believed to have stopped there for drinking water. Six kms away further is the cave srhine of
Ardhkunwari. where it is beleived that she meditated for nine months. The last halt before the actual shrine is the Bhawan,where there are facilities for wash and change,accomodation and arrangements for depoisiting luggage and valuables. For entry into the shrine,devotees need to get Yatra slip issued by the Shrine Board at
Katra. After darshans devotee can relax in well equipped hotels in katra. Vashno Devi is very popular pilgrimage destination in India.
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