Jammu is popularly known as the City of Temples. Innumerable temples and shrines with glittering Shikhars soar into the sky, like caretakers of the city, creating the ambience of a truly holy city. 50 Kms from Jammu, this small town serves as the base camp for visiting the famous shrine of Vaishno Devi Ji in the Trikuta Hills. The shrine is approachable on foot along a 12 Kms. long well laid foot-path. Every year, nearly 4 million pilgrims pass through Katra on their way to Vaishno Devi Ji.
Vaishno Devi Mandir is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Shakti, located in the hill of Vaishno Devi, Jammu and Kashmir, India. In Hinduism, Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani and Vaishnavi, is a manifestation of the Mother Goddess.
The temple is near the town of Katra, in Udhampur district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of the most revered places of worship in Northern India.
According to Hindu epic, Maa Vaishno Devi took birth in the South of India in the home of Ratnakar Sagar, Her worldly parents had remained childless for a long time. Ratnakar had promised, the night before the birth of the Divine child, that he would not come in the way of whatever his child desired. Ma Vaishno Devi was called Trikuta as a child. Later She was called Vaishnavi because of Her taking birth from Lord Vishnu's lineage. When Trikuta was 9 years old, She sought her fathers permission for doing penance on the seashore. Trikuta prayed to Lord Vishnu in the form of Rama. During Shree Ramas search for Sita, He reached the seashore along with His army. His eyes fell on this Divine Girl in deep meditation. Trikuta told Shree Rama that She had accepted Him as Her husband. Shree Rama told Her that during this Incarnation He had vowed to be faithful to only Sita. However the Lord assured Her that in Kaliyuga He would manifest as Kalki and would marry Her.In the meantime Shree Rama asked Trikuta to meditate in the cave found in the Trikuta Range of Manik Mountains, situated in Northern India. Ma decided to observe the Navratra for the Victory of Shree Rama against Ravan. Hence one reads the Ramayana during the 9 days of Navratra, in remembrance of the above connection. Shree Rama promised that the whole world would sing Ma Vaishno Devis praise. Trikuta was to become famous as Vaishno Devi and would become immortal forever
High, High to the north, amidst snow capped mountains and sprawling forests arise from within the shrine of Maa Vaishno Devi. Our journey takes you to this awesome wilderness, a place so holy and sacred, a place of mystery and adventure known to most in modern world.
The Yatra begins at Katra and pilgrims have to cover 13 km. of terrain on foot to reach the Darbar. Everyday of the year a mass of humanity surges up steep pathways that cut across the hillside, mile after mile. Popular belief holds that anybody who walks the Himalayan trail to Her abode to ask for a boon, "A Mannat", rarely goes back disappointed. A super natural power seems to draw them through the mountain and they climb up those great heights step by step, chanting "Jai Mata Di".
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