Pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi
By R.K. Malhotra

THE state of Jammu and Kashmir is studded with a host of ancient temples and shrines. The cave-temple ofBhagwati Vaishno Devi, situated at a height of about 6,000 feet above sea-level and about 45 kilometres to the south-west of Jammu, is second to none in importance and popularity.

The pilgrimage commences with the Sharad Navratras in late September or beginning of October every year. It continues to draw the devotees of the goddess in large numbers from far and wide up to the end of December. The peak time is around Divali. The path becomes hazardous due to snow in the winter months of January and February. And, towards the end of March again a stream of pilgrims start visiting the holy cave to the end of May. The months of June, July and August are lean due to the weather.

The devout pay their obeisance to the goddess time and again during their life. Since 1986, when the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board came into existence, there has been a marked improvement in the socio-economic and environmental conditions of the surrounding areas of the shrine complex.

The age-old, self-appointed custodians of the shrine, who exploited the religious sentiments of the pilgrims for selfish ends, have given place to this autonomous Board. The Board, rather than the hereditary vested interests, now has the control and superintendence over the maintenance of the shrine complex and the surrounding areas. Offerings and donations are accounted for and spent on various development schemes and for humanitarian purposes.

The 14-km-long pedestrian path from Katra to the temple has not only been widened but also lighted for the convenience of the pilgrims, who undertake the journey at night. Clean lodging-houses and eating places have been set up. A large number of flush latrines have been built at different milestones to keep the environment clean.

According to a Puranic story, Vaishno Devi performed a mahayagya at Kodkandoli after arriving from Ratnakar Sagar. One powerful demon, Bhairon, who was present there in disguise was infatuated by the beauty of Vaishno Devi. Three generals of Bhairon were killed by the devotees of the goddess at Bhomaka because they tried to kidnap her.

The Devi shifted her abode to the Trikuta mountain and reached a place which later on came to be known as Adi Kumari (Eternal Virgin). But Bhairon chased her and a fierce battle took place between his forces and the devotees of Vaishno Devi, who infused them with divine power. It was here that the Devi showed her power and defeated the forces of the demon.

The legend says that the demon followed the Devi, who went to the cave of the trinity of Maha Lakshmi, Maha Kali and Maha Saraswati. The goddess out of rage severed the head of the demon with an arrow at a hill-top, now known as Bhairon-ghati. She then cursed his torso, which turned into a stone near the mouth of the cave. Since then Vaishno Devi has made her abode in the holy cave and has become one with the trinity of goddesses.

The road to the cave-temple forks out at 28 km milestone on the Jammu-Srinagar road. To its left at a place called Domel. From Katra, the Vaishno Devi Durbar is at a distance of 14 km.

Katra, nestling at the foot of the Trikuta mountain of the Himalayan range, is a neat flourishing town. The trek from here to the holy cave passes through one of the most gorgeous scenery of the Himalayas. The first leg of the journey up to Adi Kumari temple at a height of about 5,000 feet above the sea-level is marked with ablutions by the pilgrims in the sacred Banganga and prayers at the Charan Padika temple. The pilgrims keep on invoking the blessings of the deity during their journey.

The ascent from Adi Kumari to Hathi Matha (the place is called so because of the straight climb comparable to the shape of an elephant’s forehead) and then to Sanjhi Chhat (called so due to its being equidistant from Adi Kumari, on one side, and the temple-cave, on the other) at a height of over 7,000 feet is, indeed, rewarding. The pilgrim is overwhelmed by the majestic span of the verdant vale down below.

The grace and rhythm of the Banganga, as it wends its serpentine course to merge later in the Tanti, and the evening shadows of the purple rays of the setting sun bending from across the hills and forests make a memorable sight.

The path from Sanjhi Chhat dips down to Bhairon-ghati and then to the sacred cave-temple. The pilgrim meanders through a thick forest of deodar and pine which refreshes the weary limbs and uplifts the mind. A blissful atmosphere awaits him at the Vaishno Devi Durbar. He is rewarded with mental peace when he has a glimpse of the deity after entering the holy cave, which is nearly 100- feet long. The Banganga has also its spring source in this cave-temple and is known here as Charanganga because it springs forth from just below the feet of the goddess.