Origin

The pilgrimage to the holy cave of Shri Vaishno Devi is an enlightening experience. For the religious devotees it is a journey of deep faith and fulfillment and the revelers in natural charms are enthralled by the all round scenic splendor and the idyllic beauty of the site.

Away from the jarring din of the mundane life as one goes higher and higher on the arduous ascent to the holy cave, one feels ethereally light and buoyant. The spiritual thrill sensed by the nearing spectacle of the "Mother of the Mountains", "Annihilator of all evils", mingled with the exhilarating environments transfers one to another world of mystic communion.

Their associations with various mystic legends have consecrated numerous spots in the spectacular mountains of Jammu. The holy cave of Shri Vaishno Devi is the most famous of them all attracting lakhs of votaries from all over the country and some even from abroad.

None can say with certainty as to when exactly this pilgrimage started but since long past goddess Vaishno Devi has been not only a beacon light of religious fervor to her devotees but also source of inspiration to fight out and destroy evil.

Besides, the visits to the holy cave by lakhs of people annually. The vigils (jagarna) observed by numerous people in their homes to supplicate the goddess for the fulfillment of their cherished desires, or as thanks giving of any desire already fulfilled, is a thrilling experience when people pass whole night singing ecstatically in praise of Vaishno Devi. How old is the cave? The geologists have put it nearly a million years after the study of the rocks. But how old is the pilgrimage. It is still a moot point. It was, however, natural that with the pilgrimage becoming more and more popular, so much so that in 1990 the number of pilgrims touched over 2.1 million mark, scholars should have cerebrated to search for its antiquity.

It is strange that it has not been mentioned in any of the three oldest and most important accounts of pilgrimages given by Brahma rishis Pustakalya, Dhaumya and Lomasha or some other less important Yatra itineraries in the encyclopedic epic Mahabharta. First two of these accounts, however, do mention Jamboo as one of the most important of the Indian religious places; in fact Pustakalya while talking to Bhisham described it as second only to Pushkar which he lists at number one and whose merits he recounts in the highest terms.

Extolling the virtues of a visit to Jamboo-Marg, Pustakalya remarks, "One that goes to Jamboo-Marg, which is resorted to by the celestials, the Rishi and the Pitris, acquires the merits of the Ashwamedh yagya and the fruition of all his wishes. The man that resides there for five nights has his soul cleansed from all sins. He never sinks into hell, but acquires high success." Dhaumya lauds Jamboo-Marg as the "retreat of ascetics and souls under control" and describes it as "inhabited by birds and deer".

It is interesting to note in this behalf that till last century many travelers were writing present Jammu, as Jamboo. It is clear that this place occupied highly significant position in the itinerary of the famous holy sites in India.

Besides, there are cogent indications that present Jammu had been in the past a famous seat of Sanskrit learning. Therefore, the Herculean undertaking of Maharaja Ranbir Singh (1856-1885) to set up hundreds of cyclopean temples in and around Jammu which still survive, as also his remarkable work in establishing Jammu as a unique seat of Sanskrit learning. Of which the famous Raghunath Sanskrit Maha pustakalya is a standing testimony, serve in retrospect as an appropriate endeavor to establish Jammu to its pristine glory. But how is it that the name of Shri Vaishno Devi Cave does not occur along with Jamboo in the Mahabharta? A highly complimentary reference has, however, been found to this shrine at another place in the great epic. It is when the armies of Pandavas and Kurus were arrayed in Kurukshetra, Krishna told Arjuna to meditate upon Vaishnavi Devi and entreat her for victory before actually entering the battlefield. But there is an interesting controversy here on two points viz. 1. Whether the reference in Arjuna's hymn (reproduced in some details on page 1) is to Jamboo-dwipa, which signifies Asian continent or only to Jamboo which would mean present Jammu? And 2: Whether the deity worshipped is Durga Mata as such or her form as Vaishnavi Devi? Renowned Sanskrit scholars have so far been interpreting the hymn as referring to Durga living in Jamboo-dwipa. Actual words are however "Jambookatak chaitya shu nityam snihitalya" which would mean "you (Durga) who always dwell in the temple on the slope of the mountain in Jamboo."

It is surprising to see how well versed scholars interpreted "Jambookatak" as Jamboo-dwipa when it clearly means, "slope of Jammu mountain". If we take it as referring to Jamboo-dwipa, the whole sentence would mean "you who dwell in Jamboo-dwipa". But why should one refer to the Asian continent of which Bharatvarsha was only one of the nine varshas (countries) while referring to an individual sacred place and not to the actual site where the sacred dwelling is located? Reference is, therefore, clearly to Durga dwelling in a sacred site on the Jammu Mountain or in other words Vaishnavi Devi shrine. This contention is buttressed by the fact that at another place in the same epic viz. Mahabharta when Pandavas were in exile and were on their way to Varata, Yudhishtira, the eldest Pandav brother, invokes Durga and specifically mentions the goddess (Durga) who dwells in the Vindya Mountain. Hymned Yudhishtira "O thou that has observed the vow of Brahamacharya. Thou shine, O goddess, as Padama the consort of Narayana. O thou that ranges the ethereal regions. Thou have sanctified the celestial regions by adopting the vow of perpetual maidenhood. Thou that are worshipped praised by the gods for the protection of three worlds. O thou foremost of all deities, extend to me thy grace. Show me thy mercy, and be thou source of blessings to me. It is thou that give victory in battle. Thy eternal abode is on Vindya, the foremost of mountains ... "That Vaishnavi Devi is but a form of Durga is generally believed. There is an interesting story containing identity of Durga and Vaishnavi in Bhagvata Purana (10th Skanda,), 2nd Adhayay, (slokas 10 to 12).

When her brother Kansa has had killed all six sons of Devaki. The Almighty Lord Vishnu, the first cause, the Supreme Being, the Ultimate Bliss, the Supporter of the Universe, thus commanded his Yoga-Maya:" Devaki bears in her womb a portion of myself. Taking it out, do thou introduce it in the womb of Rohini. Then I will be born as a son of Devaki. Thou shall be born to Jasodha "." Archishyanti manushyastvam sarvakam varishavareem. Dhuppahar balibhih sarvakam varapradam Namedhyani kurvanti sthanani ch. nara vhuvi. Durgati, Vhadarakaliti, Vijaya, Vaishnaviti, ch. Kumuda, Chandika, Krishna, Madhavi, Kanayka ti ch. Maya, Naryani, Eshani, Sarda tya Ambika ti ch." Meaning: " Men shall adore thee, the cherished goddess of those desirous of progress and bestows of all desires and boons, with various offerings, under various names as Durga, Vhadrakali, Vijaya, Vaishnavi, Kumuda, Chandika, Krishna, Madhavi, Kanayka, Maya, Naryani, Eshani, Sarda and Ambika." This shows that as ordained by Vishnu in Bhagwat Purana, his Yoga-Maya started to be worshipped under different names at different places. But since Durga became the most famous of the female pantheon of the Hindu religion. All the different Shaktis were worshipped in her name differentiated by the names of the different sacred sites where they resided as Vaishno Devi had her abode in " the temple on the slope of the Jammu Mountain. "It will also be interesting to mention here another story in the Bhagvata Purana. In the fight Indra had with demon Vritra, the former was astonished by the high morality preached by the latter and said that since he (Vritra) had understood Vaishnavi Maya, he deserved to attain the status of rishis.

The cult of the Shaktis or the worship of the females of various gods is, however, not Vedic but Puranic. Therefore, there is no reference to Durga or Vaishnavi in any Vedic literature though Trikutta has been mentioned in the Rig-Veda as also in many other scriptures of the Vedic period.

It was referring to the occurrence of Trikutta in the Vedic literature, that an eminent Sanskrit scholar had theorized that it may be from the two troughs (pits or grahs) between the three peaks of the Trikutta mountain that the Sanskrit word Dwigart came. According to many scholars the word Dogra, the brave community inhabiting the Jammu region, has been derived from this Sanskrit word Dwigart. However, the two pits or grahs are believed generally to be the two lakes of Mansar and Saruinsar. But the theory about the pits between the three Trikutta peaks seems to be more plausible since they are visible for scores of miles around covering almost the entire Dugar Desh as Jammu is popularly known.