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Vaishno Devi – Land Of Mata Vaishno Devi
Author : Mathan Mohan
Submitted : 2011-12-27 23:41:59 Word Count : 373 Popularity: 0
Tags: Vaishno Devi Tourism, Visiting Vaishno Devi, Vaishno Devi Travel Guide
Vaishno Devi is a very popular pilgrimage site for Hindus. It is located around fifty kilometers north of Jammu in the State of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is situated in the Trikuta Mountain. Five thousand two hundred feet above sea level, Vaishno Devi is a cave in the Himalayas. Pilgrims base themselves in the nearest town Katra, which is at the foot the Trikuta Hills and is located forty eight kilometers away from Jammu. Vaishno Devi has been a pilgrim site from the ancient times and Hindus believe that Mata or the Mother Goddess resides in the cave in the forms of goddesses Laxmi, Kali and Saraswati. The footfall of pilgrims increases every year.
A legend is attached to the Vaishno Devi site. According to legend Vaishno Devi was ad devotee of Lord Rama and had taken a vow of celibacy. A demon God Bhairon nath lusted after her and chased her for nine months. She took shelter in the cave and beheaded Bhairon Nath in the form of Kali. Bhairon Nath's beheaded body is believed to have turned into the boulder that is found at the entrance of the cave. The place where his head fell is believed to be the place where the Bhairon Nath temple is located today.
The holy shrine inside the cave is believed to have been built by the Pandavas. The cave is about ninety eight feet in length. The cave consists of a large number of symbols of the pantheon of Hindu Gods and Goddesses within. Pilgrims crawl into the tunnel and also wade through water to offer their prayers. The symbols within the cave are beautiful and also very powerful images. Other places around Vaishno Devi which are also visited are the Deva Mai temple, the holy cave of Shiv khori, Baba Dhansar temple, the shrine of Dera Baba Banda and the Baba Jitto temple.
The shrine can be visited all through the year barring the winter months because snow might block the paths. By road the temple is a steep trek away from the road head at Katra. Ponies and Porters are available for hire in Katra. Jammu is the nearest railway station and airport. Private hotels, dharamshalas and government accommodations are available at Katra.
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