Shree Durga Stut : JAI MATA DI

Bhagwati Bhagwan Ki Bhakti Karo Parvaan Tum
Ambe Kar Do Amar Jispe Ho Jao Meharbaan Tum

Kali Kaal Ke Panje Se Tum Hi Bachana Aan Kar
Gauri Godi Mein Bithana Apna Balak Jaankar
Chintpurni Chinta Meri Dur Tum Karti Raho
Lakshmi Lakhon Bhandare Mere Tum Bharti Raho

Nainadevi Naino Ki Shakti Ko Dena Tum Badha
Vaishno Maa Vishey Vikaro Se Bhi Lena Tum Bacha
Mangala Mangal Sada Karna Bhawan Darbar Mein
Chandika Chadhti Rahe Meri Kala Sansar Mein

Bhadrakali Bhadra Purshon Se Milana Tum Sada
Jwala Jalna Irsha Vash Yeh Mitana Kar Kripa
Chamunda Tum Chaman Pe Apni Daya Drishti Karo
Mata Maan Ijjat Ve Sukh Sampati Se Bhandar Bharo

Aarti Shri Ambe Ji Ki

Jai Ambe Gauri, Mayya Jai Shyama Gauri
Tumko Nish-Din Dhyavat, Hari Brahma Shivri [1] Jai Ambe Gauri
Maang Sindoor Virajat, Tiko Mrig-Mad Ko
Ujjwal Se Dou Naina, Chandra Vadan Niko [2] Jai Ambe Gauri
Kanak Samaan Kalewar, Raktaambar Raaje
Rakt Pushp Gal-Mala, Kanthan Par Saaje [3] Jai Ambe Gauri
Kehri Vahan Rajat, Kharag Khapar DhaariSur Nar Muni Jan Sevat,
Tinke Dukh Haari [4] Jai Ambe Gauri
Kanan Kundal Shobhit , Naas-Agre Moti
Kotik Chandra Divakar, Sum Rajat Jyoti [5] Jai Ambe Gauri
Shumbh Ni-Shumbh Vidare, Mahisha Sur Ghati
Dhumra-Vilochan Naina, Nish-Din Mad Mati [6] Jai Ambe Gauri
Chandh Mundh Sangh-Haare, Shonit Beej Hare
Madhu Kaitabh Dou Maare, Sur Bhe Heen Kare [7] Jai Ambe Gauri
Brahmani Rudrani, Tum Kamla Rani
Aagam Nigam Bakhani, Tum Shiv Patrani [8] Jai Ambe Gauri
Chon-Sath Yogini Gavat, Nritya Karat Bhairon
Baajat Taal Mridanga, Aur Baajat Damaroo [9] Jai Ambe Gauri
Tum Ho Jag Ki Maata, Tum Hi Ho Bharta
Bhakto Ki Dukh Harata, Sukh Sampati Karata [10] Jai Ambe Gauri
Bhuja Chaar Ati Shobhit, Var Mudra Dhaari
Man Vaanchit Phal Pavat, Sevat Nar Naari [11] Jai Ambe Gauri
Kanchan Thaal Virajat, Agar Kapoor Baati
Shri Maal-Ketu Me Rajat, Kotik Ratan Jyoti [12] Jai Ambe Gauri
Shri Ambe-Ji-Ki Aarti, Jo Koi Nar Gaave
Kahat Shivanand Swami, Sukh Sampati Paave [13] Jai Ambe Gauri

English Translation

Glory to you, O divine Mother Gauri, glory to you, O Parvati, who are so rich in maiden grace , the object of daily meditation by Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. O Ambe! On your forehead is a mark of vermilion along with a mark of musk . Your twin eyes are bright and your face beautiful as the moon. Your body with a tinge of gold is beautifully dressed in red attire; on your throat there is a wreath of red blossoms like a beautiful necklace. Your vehicle, the lion, is, O Mother in keeping with your majestic form; you hold a sword and a skull in your hands, and on you attend the gods, hermits, men and your devotees, whose grief you drive away. You are adorned with rings on your ears and with pearl on the tip of your nose, your radiance looks as beautiful as that of myriad of moons and suns. O slayer of the demon Mahish, you tore apart the bodies of Shumbha, Nishumbha and Dhuumravilochana. Your eyes reflected a frenzy of wrath everyday and night. You are the beloved companion of Brahma, Rudra and Vishnu. The Vedas and the Shastras describe you as the queen companion of Shiva Sixty-four Yoginis chorus your glory and glorify you, while Shiva dances in tune to the accompaniment of the sound of tambour and drum . You are mother of the universe, the almighty, its sustainer, reliever of your devotees' hardships and bestower of prosperity and happiness The four arms you have adorned your person, while the hand raised in benediction reveals your compassionate aspect. Those among men and women who wait on you and worship you have all their wishes fulfilled. In a golden platter are beautifully laid aloe and camphor, both of which have lighted; and the radiance of your forehead is reflecting the splendour of gems.

Naina Devi Temple

"Jai Mata Di" Naina Devi Temple is one of the fifty-one Shakti Peeths in India. Situated 60 km from Bilaspur district in Himachal Pradesh, Naina Devi Temple is one of the highly venerated Shakti Temples in India.
Naina Devi Temple is a holy shrine that is dedicated to Shri Naina Devi, one of the forms of Goddess Shakti. Located on the top of a hill in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, Naina Devi Mandir is one amongst the fifty one Shakti Peeths. The Temple of Naina Devi is a famous temple, connected to the National Highway No. 21 for the facility of pilgrims. The hill can be reached through a road by vehicles and to reach the summit, one can opt for concrete steps or cable car.

Naina Devi Temple is a sacred place especially for the Hindus. Pilgrims come to visit this temple to pay their homage to the Goddess. According to the legends, the different body parts of Sati fell on the earth during the time of self-sacrifice. It is believed that Sati's eyes fell at this point and subsequently, a temple was built here to commemorate the goddess. The term 'Naina' suggests 'eyes', so the goddess came to be known as Naina Devi.

In the temple complex, there is huge Peepal tree that is acclaimed to be present from past many centuries. On the right side of the entrance to the main shrine, idols of Lord Hanuman and Lord Ganesha are placed. After crossing the main gate of the shrine, two striking statues of Lions are visible. The main shrine reveals the images of three deities. Goddess Kali can be traced on the extreme left. In the centre, image of Naina Devi is visible, while Lord Ganesha is on the right side.

The Temple is perched over a small yet scenic hill. From the suburbs of the temple, one can spot the picturesque Govind Sagar Lake. Close to the main shrine, there is a small cave, which is known as Shri Naina Devi Cave. In the earlier days, people used to trek the steep path of 1.25 kms to reach the temple at the hill-top. Now, the facility of cable car has been launched to make to journey easy and enjoyable. On Shravan Ashtami, a big fair is held annually at this temple. During the time of Navratras, the temple is visited by large number of people.

Tourist places near Jammu

Places in and around Jammu such as Katra, Srinagar and Ladakh are some of the prime tourist locales of India.

Katra:

Katra town, lying in the foot of Trikuta Mountains, 48 kms. from Jammu, serves as the base camp for visiting the famous shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, which is approachable on foot along a 13 kms long well laid footpath. Every year, more than 4.5 million pilgrims pass through Katra on their way to the holy shrine.

Located at an altitude of about 2500 feet above sea level, Katra is the last point uptill which any type of modern transport can go (except the recently started Helicopter service, which takes the pilgrims right till Sanjichhat, just a couple of kilometers from the Holy Shrine).

Srinagar:

Srinagar, the pride of Kashmir valley, is the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Srinagar is famous for its lakes and the charming rows of houseboats floating on them. It is also known for traditional Kashmiri handicrafts and dry fruits. Srinagar is located in the western part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, in the northern region of India. It is located in the Kashmir valley. River Jhelum passes through Srinagar city. Srinagar is 876 km north of Delhi.

Ladakh:

Ladakh is a land of extraordinary beauty which is bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Great Himalaya and the Karakoram. Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 feet (2750m) at Kargil to 25,170 feet (7,672m) at Saser Kangri in the Karakoram. Thus summer temperatures rarely exceed about 27 degree Celsius in the shade, while in winter they may plummet to minus 20 degree Celsius even in Leah. This place offers wonderful option for adventure tourism and sight seeing.

How to reach Vaishno Devi

In order to visit the Holy Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi Ji, one has to reach Katra, a small town situated around 50 kms. from Jammu, the winter capital of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Katra serves as the base camp for the yatra. Katra is well connected to Jammu and Jammu, in turn, is well connected to the rest of the country by Air, Rail, and Road.

By Air : Jammu is well connected to the rest of India by air. Both Indian Airlines and Jet Airways operate daily flights to Jammu. The average flying time from New Delhi is about 80 minutes.

By Train : One can also reach Jammu by rail. Jammu is connected to other parts of country on broad gauge and numerous passenger trains ply from various parts of the country to Jammu. In the peak season of summer and other holidays, the Railways introduce special trains for Jammu for the comfort of the Yatris. Many superfast trains also ply on this route and one can reach Jammu overnight from New Delhi.

A list of trains, their schedules and booking status could be seen at the Indian Railways website. You can even book tickets online if you are planning to travel in the near future.

By Road : Jammu is well connected through road also to rest of India. National Highway No. 1A passes through Jammu towards Srinagar. Regular bus services from all major North Indian cities are available for Jammu as well as Katra. Many standard and deluxe buses of various State Road Transport Corporations as well as private operators connect Jammu with important cities and towns of North India.

Passengers using Air or Rail as a mode of travel have necessarily to break their journey at Jammu and from thereon select an alternative mode of transport. However for passengers traveling by road, either through public or own transport, there is an option of taking a by-pass from Kunjwani, nearly 10 kms. off Jammu and heading straight for the base camp i.e Katra. The option of a halt at Jammu is thus entirely with the yatri although many yatries would like to spend more time in Jammu and visit the temples and other landmarks there.

Some other beautiful places near Vaishno Devi

Raghunath Temple

Situated in the heart of the city and surrounded by a group of other temples, this temple dedicated to Lord Rama is outstanding and unique in Northern India. Work on the temple was started by Maharaja Gulab Singh, founder of the Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir in 1835 AD and was completed by his son Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1860 AD.
Ranbireshwar temple

Located on the Shalimar Road near the New Secretariat, and built by Maharaja Ranbir Singh in1883 AD, Ranbireshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It has one central 'Lingam' measuring seven and a half feet height (7.5 ft.) and twelve Shiva 'Lingams' of crystal measuring from 15 cms. To 38 cms. and galleries with thousands of Shiva 'Lingams' fixed on stone slabs.
Amarmahal

This was once the residential palace of Raja Amar Singh. the palace has been converted to a museum and is looked after by Hari-Tara Charitable trust. The museum has a golden throne made of 120kg pure gold sofa and has golden lions embedded into it. The throne is placed in a hexagonal room. This is a beautiful palace of red sand stone which stands amidst the most picturesque environments of Jammu. There is beautiful view of the Shiwaliks at the north and the River Tawi flows down below. adding to the Grandeur.
Bahu Fort

Five kms from Jammu city situated on a rock face on the left bank of the river Tawi, this is perhaps the oldest fort and edifice in the city. Constructed originally by Raja Bahulochan over 3,000 years ago, the existing Fort was more recently improved and built by Dogra rulers.
Mansar Lake

Sixty kms. A beautiful lake fringed by forest-covered hills. Boating facilities are available on the spot. Every year around Baisakhi, a food and crafts festival is organised here by J&K Tourism.

A Unforgettable trip to Haridwar - Rishikesh

It was the 9^th day of April, when we were going for Haridwar-Rishikesh trip. We started travelling by train in late evening and reached Haridwar on 10th April at morning.The morning was quite cold as we were not ready for such a chill weather, we just wraped ourselves with clothes.

We searched for a “dhramshala” for 1-2 hrs. Here we came to know that why tourists in India are forced to accept “thagi”. Everyone there has his own business, they have no need to search job outside, because for them money flow is coming automatically, only they have to set up the business and grab the money. So that is good for living purpose, as people are close to their family so they have forced to have some morality aspect with them.

So As we had already opted for travel package, we went to our contractor and after that we moved with guide for trekking, we went to see waterfall, it was nice .After that we went for rappelling and at the end of first day the camping. So it was nice to spend time near to bank of Ganga. It was really a very awesome scene with awesome feelings. In evening and late evening we enjoyed there, there was bonfire which we enjoyed. One of our friend choose a girl named Nitika, he tried to flirt with her, but didn’t get enough time with her. Although we enjoyed that all. After that we had lanterns in front of our camps. Camps were nice and as we had chat till late night and as we felt cold we slept.

Next day on 11th April we have to go for rafting the river rafting. We had thought that it was just an event which we had to do, not too much excited. We were lucky that day that we got good company of a Denmark Girl, one sailor from Laddakh, and one local sailor cum guide. All persons were humorous and they made river rafting the best event of trip. There was very good scenes around us, we were enjoying body surfing in Ganga and there were some good rapids having interesting names like "Black Money", "Double Trouble" ,"Roller Coaster","Hilton & Terminator" which made us feel the power of water. We enjoyed that too much. Besides that exciting event of cliff jumping was awesome. Everything was awesome. After completing we went a high class Resort, where we took a long rest. We checked out the resort in mid of the day on 12th April.We came to Haridwar and rested in a cheap but a good hotel.Although we were missing our one friend and thinking if he would have been there then we have no time to rest. But as he was not there with us, we had taken rest. The rest was too long we rested till next afternoon. After noon we moved to “Har ki paidi” and “rope way to Mansa Devi mandir”. Both were good, noting special which I have to describe.

After that we moved to the Haridwar railway station, where we techies were not able to search our platform, that really made us laugh on system and on ourselves. After that we slept for few hours and reached in night back at home.In the morning all of us were tired .But at the end it was a nice trip indeed.

To Know More about Haridwar - Rishikesh Trip