Sakta (Amman) · Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir
Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan, Katra
Vaishno Devi as three pindis in the cave
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The temple in short
- Deity
- Vaishno Devi as three pindis in the cave
- Where
- Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir · 33.03N 74.95E
- Usual hours
- Darshan around the clock — hours change with festivals and the season; check before travelling. Were these right when you went?
- Grahas
- Rahu Chandran
- Visited for
- Twelve kilometres uphill to the cave where Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati sit together. Navaratri is its season; visited for a vow and for children.
The sthala purana
Tradition, as it is told at the temple
The sthala purana has it that Vaishnavi, a girl who had resolved not to marry, was pursued by Bhairon Nath into the Trikuta hills, and that she hid in a cave at Ardhkuwari for nine months while he searched.
She is said to have come out at last and cut off his head at the mouth of the cave above, and the head to have fallen where the Bhairon temple now stands. He is said to have repented at the end and been forgiven, which is why the visit is not counted complete until his shrine above the cave has been reached.
What is worshipped in the cave is not an image. Three natural rock forms, the pindis, are taken for Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati.
What is recorded
Documented history
The shrine is administered by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, which runs the track, the accommodation and the queue system, and publishes the numbers.
The climb from Katra is about twelve kilometres on a paved track. Ponies, palanquins, battery cars, a ropeway to the Bhairon temple and helicopters to Sanjichhat are all available, and yatra registration is required before starting.
What there is to see
Description
The track climbs steadily with shelters and stalls the whole way, and is lit and walked through the night.
Ardhkuwari, where the cave narrows to a crawl, is about half way. Darshan at the bhawan is of the three pindis in a short cave passage and takes a few seconds.
The Bhairon temple is a further climb above the bhawan, and Banganga at the foot is where most people bathe before setting out.
The temple year
The days it is fullest
Both Navaratris — Chaitra and Sharad — are the great seasons, and the track is crowded day and night through them.
The summer months and the New Year week are the other peaks. The yatra runs all year, and winter walking is cold but far quieter.
Getting there, and what else it is called
- Also called
- Mata Vaishno Devi, Trikuta Bhawan, Katra
- Reaching it
- Katra is the base town. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra has its own railway station, and Jammu is about 45 km away with the nearest airport.
Where it is
Others within reach
Nearest first, by straight-line distance
- Kheer Bhawani Temple, Tulmul 124.9 km · Sakta (Amman)
- Shri Amarnath Cave Shrine 140.7 km · Saiva
- Durgiana Temple, Amritsar 155.9 km · Sakta (Amman)
- Brajeshwari Devi Temple, Kangra 161.2 km · Sakta (Amman)
- Chamunda Nandikeshwar Dham 176.5 km · Sakta (Amman)
- Jwalamukhi Devi Temple 181.3 km · Sakta (Amman)
Add what you know
Been to this temple? The things that change — whether the hours on this page were right, whether the sannidhi was open, how long the queue was on a Saturday — are exactly what no printed source keeps current, and what the next person travelling here needs.
- Were the hours right when you went?
- Is anything on this page wrong or out of date?
- A photograph of the gopuram, the tank, or the notice board
A contribution carries a name, so a reader knows whose account it came from. That is why it needs an account, and it is the only reason.
Parihaaram is traditional practice, offered for devotion and peace of mind; it is not a guaranteed cure of any condition. Temple hours change with festivals and the season, so check before travelling.