The temple of
Goddess Vaishno Devi is one of the major and
sacred
Hindu temples dedicated to
Parvati or Goddess
Shakti,
the Divine Consort of Lord
Shiva. This beautiful temple lies
ensconced among the picturesque hills of Vaishno Devi, in the
state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Hindus venerate Vaishno
Devi, also commonly referred to as Mata Rani and Vaishnavi, is
the very manifestation of the
Mother Goddess Shakti.
Exact Location of the Vaishno Devi Mandir (Temple)
The Vaishno Devi Manir is located close to the town of Katra,
in the Reasi district. It is one of the most revered places of
worship in India. The shrine is situated at an altitude of
5300 feet above sea level and lies at a distance of
approximately 12 kilometres from Katra.
It has been recorded that close to 8 million yatris (pilgrims)
visit the temple every year, from each and every part of the
world. It is believed to be the second most visited religious
shrine in India, coming after the Tirumala Venkateswara
Temple.
The temple premises are maintained by the Sri Mata Vaishno
Devi Shrine Board. Pilgrims can access the temple by rail via
Udhampur to Katra. The Jammu Airport is the best way to reach
the shrine for those travelling by flight.
Birth and Childhood of Mata Vaishno Devi
According to legend, Mata Vaishno Devi was born in the
Southern part of India, to Ratnakar Sagar. Her parents had
been childless for several years and yearned to sire a child.
Just the night before the birth of the Divine Child, Ratnakar
had promised that he would never ever interfere with whatever
his child chose to do later in life. Mata Vaishno Devi was
born the next day and was named Trikuta. She was later called
Vaishnavi because she had taken birth from the lineage of Lord
Vishnu.
When she was 9 years old, Trikuta sought her father's
permission for performing penance on the seashore. Trikuta sat
there, praying to Lord Rama, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. At that
very time, Lord Rama passed along the seashore, in search of
Goddess
Sita, who had been abducted by the Demon King, Ravana.
Rama was present with his entire Vanara Sena (Army of
Monkeys).
Lord Rama - Glitter Poster
Seeing the beautiful girl with the divine glow, deep in prayer
and meditation, he approached her and blessed her. Trikuta
told Rama that she had already accepted him as her husband.
Rama, being Eka Patni Vrata (vowed to have only one spouse),
had decided that he would wed and be faithful only to Sita.
However, moved by the girl's devotion towards him, the Lord
gave her the name Vaishnavi and promised her that during
Kaliyuga, he would take an avatar of Kalki and would then
marry her.
Rama, in the meantime, also instructed Trikuta to meditate in
a particular cave found in the Trikuta Range of Manik
Mountains, situated in Northern India. He proceeded to give
her a bow and arrows, a small army of monkeys and also a lion
for her protection. The Divine Mother then decided to observe
the 'Navratra', to pray for the victory of Lord Rama against
Ravana.
Even today, devotees read the
Ramayana during the 9 days of
the Navratri festival. Rama also promised her that the entire
world would sing her praises and revere her as Mata Vaishno
Devi. It is due to Rama's blessings that Mata Vaishno Devi
attained immortality and now attracts several hundreds of
thousands of pilgrims to the shrine each year.
Legends of Mata Vaishno Devi
According to legend, at the time when the Mother Goddess was
engaged in waging terrible wars against and destroying the
Asuras or demons causing chaos in the world, Her three main
manifestations, namely, Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha
Saraswati united into one single power, pooling in their
collective spiritual strength. This unification created a
bright tejas or aura and a beautiful young girl emerged from
this tejas. The girl asked the Mother Goddesses for
instructions to proceed ahead with her mission. The Devis told
her that her mission was to manifest on Earth and spend her
time there, upholding Dharma or righteousness.
They asked the divine girl to take human birth in the home of
Ratnakar and then go on to lead a life of piousness and
penance, so as to raise her own consciousness to the level of
Godhead. They also told her that once she had attained that
level of consciousness, she would then automatically merge
into and become one with Lord Vishnu.
Accordingly, the girl took birth as a beautiful little girl
child. She had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and
displayed keen leanings towards spirituality and a quest for
the knowledge of the inner self. She would go into deep
meditation and stay in that state for hours together. She then
decided to renounce all worldly comforts and travel deep into
the forest to perform severe austerities and penance. This is
when she met Lord Rama and attained his blessings.
She wanted to become one with Rama, as was her mission.
However, Rama, knowing that this was not the appropriate time,
promised her that he would visit her again, after the end of
his exile. He told her that if she recognized him at that
time, he would then fulfill her wish.
Rama kept his word and visited her after winning the battle
against Ravana. He came to her in the guise of an old man, who
Vaishnavi could not recognize. She was completely distraught
when Rama revealed his true self. Rama laughed and told her
that the time had yet not come for them to be with one
another. He also assured her that they would unite during
Kaliyug, asking her to set up her ashram in the foot of the
Trikuta Hills and serve to uplift the poor and the destitute.
Vaishnavi's Ashram Thrives and Flourishes
With Rama's blessings,
people came to know of Vaishnavi's
glory and the word of her ashram spread far wide. Very soon,
devotees and followers began to flock to her Ashram in order
to get a darshan from her.
A devotee of Vaishno Devi, Sridhar, organized a Bhandara (Community meal) in which the whole village and Mahayogi Guru GorakshNathJi along with all his followers were invited as per Vaishno Devi's wishes. Guru Gorakshnath visited this Bhandara along with more 300 disciples including the Bhairavnath. Bhairavnath was amazed by seeing the power of divine mother. He wanted to test her powers. For this, he asked Guru GorakshnathJi for his permission. Guru Gorakshnath told Bhairavnath that he did not recommend this but if he still wanted to test Vaishno Devi's powers, he could go ahead and do so.
Bhairavnath then attempted to grab Vaishno Devi but she
fought him back and then decided to flee the place. She ran
away into the mountains in order to resume her penance.
However, Bhairon Nath continued to chase her there as
well.
On the way to the mountains, Vaishnavi took several halts at
Banganga, Charan Paduka and Adhkwari. She ultimately reached
the cave where she intended to continue her tapasya. To her
chagrin, Bhairon Nath followed her there as well. Finally,
losing all patience, she decided to kill him to end his
harassment.
Goddess Vaishno Devi - Poster
Coming out to the mouth of the cave, she beheaded him. Bhairon
Nath lay dead at her feet, his severed head flying off with a
force and falling at a distant hilltop. His soul, realizing
his folly after his death, approached the Goddess and prayed
to her to forgive him for his misdeeds. The benevolent Goddess
immediately felt compassionate towards him and granted him a
boon that each and every devotee visiting her shrine would
then also have to take a darshan of Bhairon, in order to
complete their pilgrimage.
The Goddess then decided to shed her human form and take the
form of a rock in order to continue uninterrupted with her
meditation. Vaishnavi, hence, gives her devotees darshan in
the form of a five and half feet tall rock, with three pindies
or heads on the top. The cave where she transformed herself is
now the holy shrine of Sri Mata Vaishno Devi and the pindies
form the sanctum sanctorum.
The Legend of Pandit Shridhar
There are many other legends associated with Vaishno Devi. One
of them relates that the Pandavas visited the holy cave and
built a shrine there. After that, Prahlad, the son of the
terrible Demon King, Hiranyakashipu, undertook a journey to
the shrine. However, the most famous legend is that of a
Brahmin, Shridhar, who lived in a village called Hansali,
located at the foot of the Trikuta Parbat. This village lies
adjacent to the present day town of Katra.
Shridhar was a staunch devotee of the Goddess Shakti. He was
very poor and could barely afford a square meal a day.
However, he was happy and contented, in the knowledge that the
Devi was forever there to guard him from any harm. The Goddess
Vaishnavi appeared before him in a dream one night, taking the
form of a young girl, or Kanya.
Shridhar, overwhelmed by this darshan and utterly grateful to
his ishta devata, decided to undertake a grand Bhandara
ceremony in the village, also inviting people residing in all
the nearby villages to participate in the event. From that day
on, he started visiting the villagers' houses, requesting them
to donate rice, vegetables and other provisions that would be
necessary to conduct this Bhandara. While some people acceded
to his request, most others turned him down. Some even taunted
him for planning to hold a Bhandara, when he did could not
even feed himself. As the day of the planned Bhandara drew
closer, Shridhar started getting worried about how he was
going to feed so many guests.
Shridhar could not sleep a wink on the eve of the Bhandara. He
kept thinking of ways and means to collect more food and
provisions to feed his guests the next day, but could not
arrive at any solution whatsoever. Finally, he just decided to
surrender to the Goddess' will and face the next day as and
when it came upon him.
The next morning, Shridhar prepared for a pooja (prayer
session) just outside his hut. His guests started streaming in
by mid morning. Seeing him praying so intently, they decided
not to disturb him and made themselves comfortable wherever
they could find the place to sit. Strangely enough, they found
that they could all be seated comfortably inside Shridhar's
small hut. The hut was really small and the crowd grew larger
and larger. Yet, there seemed to be enough space inside the
hut to accommodate a lot more people.
Having finished his pooja, Shridhar opened his eyes and saw
the staggering number of guests who had arrived for the
Bhandara. He was just starting to wonder how he would tell his
guests that he would not be able to feed them, when he saw the
Goddess Vaishnavi emerge out of his little hut. The Devi had
seen to it that everyone got to eat the food of their choice
and that they were all happy by the end of the meal. The
Bhandara turned out a great success and his guests left his
place, completely satisfied.
Establishment of the Vaishno Devi Shrine
After everyone finished their meal and left the site of the
Bhandara, Shridhar tried to find an explanation for the
mysterious events of that day. He also wanted to unravel the
mystery that was Vaishnavi. He prayed, asking the Goddess to
show herself to him, but she did not respond. He tried
repeatedly calling her name, but she never turned up to give
him darshan. Distraught and feeling empty from within, he gave
up his attempts to find her.
One night, Vaishnavi came to him in his dream and told him
that she was Vaishno Devi, also showing him the location of
her cave. An ecstatic Shridhar left in search of the cave.
Each time he lost his way, the vision of the dream came back
to him, pointing to him the exact direction of the same. He
finally found his destination and was overawed by the sight of
his favorite deity in front of him. One version of the tale
narrates that all the three Mahadevis appeared before him and
also introduced to him to the Three Pindies.
The deity gave him the right to worship her idol, also asking
him to spread the glory of her shrine. Further, she blessed
him with a boon that he would have four sons. Pandit Shridhar
then completely surrendered to her will and decided to spend
the rest of his life in the worship of the Goddess. Word of
this incident spread around and soon, devotees started
flocking this holy cave to pay their obeisance to the powerful
Goddess, Vaishno Devi.
The Call of the Divine Mother
Followers of Mata Vaishno Devi believe that no one can visit
her temple unless and until she issues a "bulawa" to them,
that is, till she calls them to visit her shrine. Irrespective
of caste, creed and social status, it is said that a journey
to the sacred shrine of Vaishno Devi can materialize if and
only if she wills it and blesses the devotee with her darshan.
In fact, many devotees have been said to experience this first
hand. The converse is also said to be true. If there is a Call
from the Deity, even those who had not planned for the trip
are bound to go visit the Mother at her shrine.
Those desirous of visiting her shrine, therefore, make a
fervent wish in their hearts and pray to her for showering her
grace and granting darshan to them. Then, they surrender to
her will and leave it to her to decide when it would be the
right time for them to go visit her Holy Abode.
History of the Vaishno Devi Temple
There is no exact record as to when the shrine of Vaishno Devi
came into existence. Certain geological studies seem to
indicate that it may be nearly a million years old. Though the
Vedas make no mention of Mata Vaishno Devi, the earliest
reference to a mountain deity named Trikuta has been made in
the Rigveda. It is worth noting here that the worship of
Shakti and other
female deities started only during the
Puranic era.
Scenes from Mahabharata - The great Indian Epic - Poster
The Mahabharata makes a referece to the Mother Goddess. The
epic states that just before the great War of Kurukshetra,
Arjuna, on the advice of Shri
Krishna, meditated upon the
Goddess, seeking her blessings for victory. At this juncture,
Arjuna describes the Devi as "Jambookatak Chityaishu Nityam
Sannihilaye", meaning, "the one who permanently resides in the
temple located on the slope of the mountain in Jamboo".
Scholars say that he could well be referring to the Jammu of
that time.
The Pandavas are also believed to have built temples dedicated
to the Mother Goddess, in regions close to the Trikuta
Mountain. On a mountain adjacent to the Trikuta Mountain are
five rock structures, overlooking the Holy Cave shrine of Mata
Vaishno Devi. These five rocks are believed to symbolize the
five Pandavas.
Holiest of Shaktipeethas
Many schools of thought consider the Vaishno Devi shrine to be
the holiest and most powerful of all the 51 Shaktipeethas.
This is because they believe that the skull of Mata Sati fell
in this area. Yet other followers believe that her right hand,
which holds the Abhaya Hasta (the gesture of succour), had
fallen there.
Incidentally, one can find the remains of a human hand here.
It is also referred to the Varada Hasta, granting protection,
blessings and boons to true devotees.
Guru Gobind Singh - Poster with Glitter
Guru Gobind Singh Visits the Shrine
Guru Gobind Singh, it is recorded, visited the shrine of Mata
Vaishno Devi, while he was travelling to Purmandal. This was
the earliest record of a historical figure visiting the shrine
of the Mother Goddess.
Worship of Mata Vaishno Devi
Vaishno Devi is believed to bestow strength to the weak, sight
to the blind, wealth to the poor and bless childless couples
with children. This very powerful deity, it is said, is also
benevolent enough to fulfill one and all of her devotees'
wishes. This is why followers make it a point to visit her
regularly, in spite of the shrine being quite unapproachable,
location-wise.
As predicted by Lord Rama, her shrine is packed with crowds of
devotees all the year through. However, Navaratri is
considered the most auspicious time to visit her abode. This
is also the best season to visit the temple, as it tends to
get too cold and inaccessible during winters and monsoons.
Visiting Vaishno Devi during the Navaratras, it is believed,
takes the devotee one step closer to attaining heaven.
Ways to Reach the Vaishno Devi Shrine
Today, there are various ways in which a devotee can reach the
holy shrine of Vaishno Devi. The nearest railway station and
airport are situated at Jammu. The shrine is linked to the
Base Camp at Katra via a track that is 13 kilometers long.
In order to undertake the uphill journey from Katra to Bhawan,
one can either travel on foot; or by hiring ponies or palkhies
(a type of palanquin).
The Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has also commenced air taxi and
helicopter services between Jammu, Katra and Sanjichat, in
order to further facilitate devotees. These services, of
course, are subject to weather conditions in that area.
Other Shrines near Vaishno Devi
One can find several ancient temples and sightseeing points On
the 13 kilometer stretch between Katra and Bhawan. The first
one is Banganga, which is 1 kilometer away from Katra. Here,
one can take a holy dip in the rivulet and also avail fo the
Langer (free food) service there.
The Charanpaduka Temple is the second stop, about 2.5
kilometers away from Banganga. It is said that the Goddess
rested a while here, before travelling to the Trikuta Hills.
This place is so named, since it contains the foot prints of
the deity.
Adkuwari lies about 3 kilometers away from Charanpaduka. This
point is halfway to the Vaishno Devi shrine. Devotees usually
spend the night here, before proceeding onto the shrine. This
place also houses the Adkuwari Temple and Gerbhjoon, an
ancient cave, wherein the Devi is believed to have hidden for
9 months, in order to protect herself from Bhairon Nath.
The next stop is Sanjichat, which is about 4 kilometers from
Adkuwari. This is the highest point in the long-winding track,
from where travelers can get a breathtaking aerial view of
Katra, Udhampur, Reasi and Jammu.
The last 2.5 kilometer stretch is a downhill journey, which
leads to Bhawan, the sacred shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi.
After completing their darshan there, devotees must then
proceed to the Bhairon Nath temple, which lies at a short
distance on a link track of the main Bhawan-Sanjichat track.
This track further leads to a dense forest area; inhabited by
several monkeys, wild animals and birds.
Apart from the above shrines, one can also visit the Brahma,
Vishnu and Mahesh Dham, which is located quite close to the
Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. This Dham is especially crowded with
devotees during Kartik Poornima. On this particular evening,
devotees perform a special Deep-Daan (donation of candles)
ritual in front of Mata Vaishno Devi and Mata Annapoorna.