Journey

The holy cave is situated at an altitude of 5,200 feet, On the slope of the Trikutta Mountain, amid scenic surroundings.

The bridle trek to the cave starts from Katra town at the foot of the Trikutta range. It is the bus terminus for pilgrims. Regular bus services ply to it from Jammu City and their number is suitably increased during the heavy rush periods. Ordinarily rush, for the past few years, continues throughout the twelve months, yet the 100 days beginning with the Sharadh Navratras, about the beginning of October, witness specially milling crowds of devotees at Katra and the cave site.

Long endless lines of pilgrims plodding their way up the difficult ascent on the Trikutta range and shouting 'jaikaras' or slogans paying obeisance to Vaishno Devi and hailing victory in her name, present exciting spectacles.

JAMMU CITY: We start our journey from the holy city of Jammu, which is the rail-terminus for the visitors to the J & K State. It has also an airfield and many bus-routes start from here including that to Katra. The city, from times immemorial, as stated in the first chapter, has been considered as a holy site. In remote past also it was said to been turned into a " City of Temples ". Maharaja Ranbir Singh (1856-1885) did a magnificent job in reviving the ancient glory of Jammu. Numerous stately temples with cloud capped shikhras and magnificent deities and lingams, built in the time of Maharaja Ranbir Singh, even today adorn different parts of the city. The assemblage of 17 shrines known as Raghunath Temples, with several unique features, surpasses them all.

There is Kali Temple at Bahu, which attracts large number of devotees. A Temple of great antiquity is the cave shrine of Pir Kho. Another old temple in the city is that of Panj Baktar or Shiva Dwala. One cannot walk even 200 yards in any direction without coming upon a new grand godly edifice. This has rightly earned the name of " City of Temples " for this city.

25 Kms. to the west of the city is the shrine of Bawa Jito. Thousands of devotees combine their visit to Vaishno Devi with the seven-day annual festival on the samadhi of Bawa Jito held on the occasion of Kartik Purnima.

About 40 Kms. to the east is the famous pilgrimage center of Purmandal where temples built on rocks present an imposing site. Formerly when there was no vehicular road, people from outside used to proceed to Vaishno Devi through Purmandal. Both Purmandal and Bawa Jito's samadhi are linked with Jammu City through vehicular roads and regular bus services ply on them.

KATRA: Bus takes the pilgrims from Jammu city on a winding hill road through kaleidoscopic scenic vignettes to the charming little pastoral town of Katra, about 46 Kms away. With the tremendous increase in the number of pilgrims over the past decade or so, Katra has developed into an important pilgrimage town in the country. Several huge building complexes have come up to accommodate Yatris free or at nominal charges. The town has a complete new look and instead of the kachcha houses, dingy shops, a mean-looking narrow Bazar with dirt littered every here and there, now one can see pucca brick buildings, inviting and flourishing shops and other commercial establishments doing brisk business. A well-located and beautifully laid-out garden with cascading water adds to the comforts provided by the town. There are a few attractive green hill spots near about Katra. It has a mild temperate climate, which makes it a suitable summer resort also. It is the starting point for the foot journey to the holy cave. One can, if one likes, hire porters, ponies or palanquins from here at fixed rates.

BAL GANGA: This gurgling streamlet gushing out from the Trikutta range flows just below Katra.

Starting from Katra and passing through the Dharshani Darwaza, one has to get down an escarpment for about half a mile and cross Bal-Ganga over a bridge. Actually it is from this bridge that the stiff ascent on the Trikutta range starts.

Bal Ganga is considered a holy stream and many devotees consider it a must to have purificatory bath in it before starting on the ascent. Many shops have of late sprung up here, which serve light food or essences and other commodities necessary for orisons in the holy cave.

From here one can either follow the pony path which is comparatively longer but easy or if hardy one can take to the old foot-track which is stiff but shorter?

CHARAN PADUKA: About 2 Kms. From Ban Ganga is the sacred spot of Charan Paduka, that is, the footprints of the Devi. Over them has been built a temple, which, however, does not look very old. Devotees worship and make offerings here. It also provides a welcome respite after an arduous ascent. According to a legend when Sati could not withstand the insulting attitude of her father Daksha who had become too hostile to his son-in-law Shiva, she sacrificed herself. This infuriated Shiva who carrying Sati's body began gyrating. In this process different parts of her body fell at different spots all of which were consecrated as pilgrimage centers. Her feet, in this legend are said to have fallen here.

Otherwise also Vaishno Devi was the Yoga-Maya of Vishnu whose feet have been held sacred by mortals as well as by asuras and gods. It has been related in various Puranas that wherever Vishnu's feet touched that became a sacred spot, So with his Yoga-Maya Vaishno Devi.

ADH KWARI: About 3 Kms from Charan Paduka is a small charming plateau known as Adhi Kanwari. Some people like to break their journey here for the night and resume it the next morning. Others taking a little rest here continue onward.

There are a number of huge dormitories at Adhi Kanwari where one can put up for the night. There are some shops, too, where one can buy various necessities.

Most interesting feature here is a tunnel about 15 feet long that starts horizontally and ends vertically. It is euphemistically called " Garb Joon " and those who cannot negotiate it are considered sinners. Everyone, therefore, tries his best to pass through it and sometimes-funny situation result especially for the corpulent bodies because the tunnel is so narrow all along that one can only crawl in it on all fours.

BHAIRAV GHATI: From Adhi Kanwari, the path used to be very difficult and even dangerous. At first one had to cross " Hathi Matha " which literally describes the risky trek; almost perpendicular like the forehead of a tusker then one had to reverse " Kaman Gosha "? Which again literally marks the bow-like path, so narrow that two people could not walk abreast on it and had it not been for the wooden fencing provided both at " Hathi Matha " and " Kaman Gosha ", there would have been many accidents. Whole of " Kaman Gosha ", and a greater portion of " Hathi Matha " have now been eliminated from the arduous journey and one can travel in perfect safety.

About 7 Kms. from Adhi Kanwari is the Bhairav temple. According to a current legend devotees should visit it only on their return journey after having the darshan of the Devi.

THE HOLY CAVE: From Bhairav Ghati, one starts on a downward path and after trekking for about 3 Kms one reaches the destination, the Holy Cave of Shri Vaishno Devi.

The cave site has been much developed in recent years to provide accommodation and other facilities to the pilgrims. The rush, however, is increasing every year so fast that improvements are continuously required here.

The atmosphere here is one of complete mystic calm. Mostly the sounds heard are those of " Jaikaras " or group songs in praise of the Devi, locally called " Bhaintan ". Most people keep awake all night doing kirtan.

In front of the cave there is a platform on which about 200 people can be accommodated at a time. But not more than a dozen persons can enter the cave in one group and have the darshan of the goddess. The rest continue singing on the platform outside and enter the narrow cave by turns.

Before entering the cave devotees have purificatory bath with the water coming out of the cave and trained into pipes, which open in bathing ghat nearby.

The mouth of the cave is so narrow that only one person can pass through it at a time and that also, by crouching and crawling,

Inside also it is too narrow for any person of normal size to walk erect or without brushing the sides. On one side the rock is sloping and if two persons happen to meet while coming from opposite sides, one must go up the sloping side to let the other pass. Just near the top of the sloping side there are some mini rock formations which pilgrims worship as holy symbols.

Knee-deep cool water gushes out of the cave. After wading through this water for about 100 feet, one has to go up three steps to reach a very small platform on which are the three small " Pindis " or rock protuberances. Consecrated as Maha Lakshmi, Maha Kali and Maha Sarswati or collectively known as Vaishno Devi, the Yog-Maya of Vishnu, the Mother of Mountains. By fathoming whose mystery even asuras become saints.

Uttering doxologies and paeans at this sacred spot, making offerings and supplicating the goddess for peace and prosperity in life, the pilgrims return in ecstasy forgetting all the agony they had to undergo negotiating the tiresome foot track. Sometimes some devotees get so rapturous as to begin singing and dancing and shouting "Jaikaras" as if possessed.

Every evening and morning the entry of the pilgrims in the cave is closed for a few hours for " Arti " or performance of worship by the pujaris. During this

Time the rocks constituting the platform and the ceiling are thoroughly washed with water coming out from beneath the platform. This has a very salutary effect in removing the air pollution from inside the cave caused by constant visit of the worshippers and burning of essences. This phenomenon was sometimes so accentuated that even the " Jyoti " or the holy flame could not be lighted inside. Things had much improved in this behalf with the construction of second tunnel for several years past.

Many other improvements have, however, been made in the surroundings of the cave in the recent years to make pilgrims comfy viz. accommodation has been considerably increased, number of shops added, sanitation improved and bathing arrangements extended. Even telephone and wireless have also been installed there and medical and police arrangements made.

It is believed by many that the cave actually does not end at the sacred platform but goes deeper into the mountain. Some believe it going even to Kashmir. There is none, however, who has gone beyond the sacred " Pindis " and all these accounts appear imaginative tales.

There are some tough climbers who besides visiting the holy cave, have gone higher on the Trikutta peaks and carried some very surprising tales about the spot and the trek to it. But all tell of the never-to-be-forgotten effulgent Aurora.