- Read First Part of the Post Here – Reaching Katra & Legend of Mata Vaishno Devi
- Read Second Part of the Post Here - Starting the trek from Base Camp Katra to Adhkuwari
- Read Third Part of the Post Here - Finishing the trek with Mata Rani & Bhairon Baba Darshan
- Read Final Part of the Post Here - Kol Kandoli Temple & Deva Mai
Katra serves as the base camp for the devotees desirous to undertake the trek to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi. We have already discussed about the details of reaching Katra and accommodation facilities therein in our first post. The first post of the series also talks about the divine legend of Mata Vaishno Devi and her assuming of the form of Pindis (rock) amidst Trikuta Mountains.
Before starting trek from
Katra to Mata Vaishno Devi. . .
Obtaining Yatra Parchi
Post arrival
in Katra, devotees can either immediately start the trek or can freshen up a
bit at the accommodation facilities before proceeding further. We booked ourselves in one of the hotels near
main market of the Katra so as to freshen up a bit before proceeding further
and also for dropping our luggage in the hotel room. It’s important
to note here that devotees have to register themselves at Yatra Parchi
Counters, which is just adjacent to Katra bus stand and obtain a yatra slip
(which entitles them to start the trek to Mata Vaishno Devi). This is a
mandatory requirement and each devotee must have individual Yatra Parchi (slip)
before commencing the trek, the same can also be booked for a group as a whole.
 |
| * Yatra Parchi Registration Counter at Katra Bus Stand |
The Yatra
Parchi can be obtained both offline and online depending upon the convenience
of the devotees. Offline Yatra Parchi can be obtained at base camp Katra
located adjacent to the bus stand. There is one more yatra parchi counter in Jammu
near the railway station, it is in the Yatra Niwas Dham made by Mata Vaishno
Devi Shine Board named as Saraswati Dham, which is one of two Yatri Niwas Dhams
at Jammu Railway station. Devotees coming by air can also get the Yatra Parchi
from Jammu Airport.
Devotees must
cross Ban Ganga within 6 hours of receiving the offline Parchi and the same must
not lost during the trek as basis this only the sequence number for the darshan
at Main Bhawan is assigned. If one loses Parchi, he needs to go back and have
it reissued from Yatra Parchi Counter which is approx. 2 Km from Ban Ganga. The
Yarti Parchi entitles the devotees for an accidental insurance (by the shrine
board) of INR 1 Lakh (for major) and INR 25,000 (for minor), but this does not
include natural deaths or death by heart attack.
Though, the offline Yatra Parchi booking option
is always there, we booked the Yatra Slip online through Shrine Board website in
advance to save our time at the Parchi counter lest there should be rush of the
devotees. To obtain a
Yatra Slip Online, a devotee would need to register on the website as a Devotee
and select a Devotee ID and Password. Yatra Parchi can be booked and generated
by using ‘Ónline Services’ link available on the Shrine Board Website.
Prepaid Mobile Phones don’t work in J&K
The devotees
planning to undertake the journey to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi may
please be apprised of the fact that prepaid mobile phones registered outside
the state of J&K don’t work there due to regulatory constraints (thankfully I had one postpaid connection too which was operational
throughout the trek). Hence, it
is advisable for those devotees who are planning a longer trip to the state to
have alternate arrangement in place and also communicate the same to their
family members back home, lest they should be worried.
There are no
major network issues, otherwise, in Katra and postpaid connections works well
even at the Bhawan (Mata rani temple in
the mountains).
Stay light and carry minimal luggage
Stay light
and carry minimal luggage during the trek as carrying heavy luggage might just
create problem while walking on the mountain trek. Lots of options are
available for the devotees to deposit their luggage in the cloak room
facilities available. There is no need to carry any eatables or drinking water
as there are plenty of shops through-out the trek selling all sorts of eatables
and drinks on payment basis.
Prefer Sports or PT Shoes
If possible,
do wear sports shoes or PT shoes for undertaking the trek and avoid wearing
heels as those may cause unnecessary pains in the ankles and might damage the
foot. Devotees (especially ladies and girls) who don’t have sports or PT shoes
need not worry as there are many shops at the start of the trek who sell these
shoes at nominal rates (INR 250 to INR 300 per pair). Besides, these shops also
lend PT shoes on a rental basis (the rental charges vary from INR 75 to INR
100). The devotees may have to submit some deposit which is returnable once the
shoes are returned to the shop after the trek.
Another small
but important thing which really helps devotees in climbing the mountain is
lathis (sticks). These are also available in many shops just before the start
of the trek at a nominal charge of INR 20 and are of immense help to those who
find problem in trekking as these supports their weight through-out reducing
the fatigue to great extent.
The trek can
be started at any time during the day or night as the Yatra goes unrestricted
24x7.
***Important Tips:
|
Mode of transports available
for devotees. . .
Walking for
12-13 Kms. can be arduous and tiring for those devotees who are not used to it.
About 90% of the devotees undertake the trek on foot walking slowly and slowly
taking mata’s name (which surely acts as a booster for them). The tiredness and
exhaustion of the trek serve as penances and their minds become still,
meditative, full of devotion and gratitude for the Mother. The soothing and
serene environment & surroundings adds icing on the cake and adds and a
mystical charm to the overall experience of the devotee. Still there are many
pilgrims who are overweight or aged or otherwise not fit to walk for long due
to one reason or the other. Further there may be some devotees who might just
be able to climb to Bhawan but may feel tried to need some assistance for their
backward journey. For these, there are many options available which may
include:
- Helicopter Services: This is the fastest and costliest mode of transport for the devotees to avail for the onward journey to Bhawan. The Helicopter services start from Katra on the foothills and the flight will drop you at Sanjhichatt which is about 2Kms away from the main Bhawan and the flight duration is about 8 minutes one way. The one way fare from Katra to Sanjichhat or Sanjichhat to Katra Rs.1039/-per passenger w.e.f. 01-04-2014 and the booking of the same can be done online on Shrine Board portal. It can be booked 60 days in advance and for a maximum group of 5 persons by a single person (from a single login ID).
- Palanquins: The Palanquins or Paalkis (as they are commonly known as) is more suitable for elderly people who can-not undertake ponies ride. The rates vary depending upon the weight of the person carried. For an average person of upto 75 Kgs of weight, the charges are in the range of INR 2,200 to INR 2,500 for a round trip from katra to bhawan & return. If you include Bhairon Temple (which is another ~2.5 Kms above main Bhawan), the rates are higher by INR 400 (approx.). The rates can go as high as INR 4000 depending upon the weight of the devotee being carried as in that case there would be more than 4 persons required to carry the palanquin.
- Ponies: Ponies are yet another option for the devotees to undertake the trek. The rates vary from INR 300 to INR 600 depending on the weight and age of the person for the round trip to Bhawan. There is an interesting thing about ponies at Katra, their owner have an interesting way to govern their speed and to stop them. The hold the Ponies from their tail and direct & guide them by pulling their tail in the desired direction & needless to say, the Pony responds to the gesture of his master!!
- Porters: Porters or Pithus (as they are commonly referred to as) are generally used to carry small kids or luggage of the devotees. The rates of hiring a porter vary from INR 400 to INR 600 for a return trip to Bhawan depending upon the distance and weight of the luggage or kid.
- Battery Cars: Battery cars facility is also available for old age, handicapped and ill devotees from Adhkumari (which is midway) to Bhawan. The one way fare of the same is INR 100.
Except
the helicopter services and battery cars, the devotees can avail all the other
services (viz. palanquins, ponies and porters) at any point of time during the
trek for partial or part of the trek. Consequently, depending upon the distance
for which the services are used, the rates would reduce. The rates of all these
services are fixed. Information about these rates is available on various sign
boards and at the Assistance Centers at Katra, Banganga and other places.
Starting trek from Katra to
Mata Vaishno Devi. . .
As we have taken care of all the necessary pre-requisites of the Yatra, let us start our trek to Mata Vaishno Devi by chanting her name from our hear. . . Jai Mata Di (Hail Mother Goddess).
We took bath
at the hotel and after having a light brunch we left for the trek at about 1230
hours in the noon. It’s always advisable to have a lighter lunch or dinner
before starting the trek as heavy stomach makes it difficult to climb.
The trek to Mata Vaishno Devi starts from Darshani Deodhi or Darshani Darwaaza (Visiting Door) which is around 1 Km to 2 Km from the Katra bus stand.
Darshani Deodhi or Darshani Darwaaza
(Visiting Door or Gate)
 |
| ~ Darshani Darwaaza from where devotees start their trek to Main Bhawan |
The main
entrance of Trikuta Mountains where the trekking to Mata Vaishno Devi starts is
Darshani Darwaaza. As per the legend, Mata Vaishno Devi met Pandit Shridhar at
this spot in the form of a girl child. This is also known as Darshani Darwaza
because from here one gets a complete view of the Trikuta Mountain. The term
Darshan stands for view; hence symbolically this is the first Darshan of the
Yatra. This spot is at 2800 feet above sea level.
One can
either walk up to the Darshani Darwaza on foot or hire an auto rickshaw. If one
has his own vehicle one can drive up to the new gate, adjacent to the Darshani
Darwaza and leave it parked there. Many of the hotels and lodging houses in
Katra offer free pick and drop facility to the devotees to this Darshani
Darwaaza.
 |
| * Security Check at Darshani Darwaaza |
The moment
you enter the Darshani Darwaaza, there is first security check wherein all
ladies and gents (in a separate queues) are checked and frisked. There is also
a separate queue for the people carrying luggage as the luggage are also
x-rayed for security purposes. The offline Yatra Parchis of the devotees are
also checked and stamped here. For online Yatra Parchi, the check post is
situated about half a Km ahead at Ban Ganga Check Post. Since
we had online Yatra Parchi, we moved further from Darshani Darwaaza to the
online counter which had a small line. It’s important to note that all the
persons of the group have to be present at the counter as they take photograph
of each member mentioned in the Yatra Parchi printi out from their webcam and give
a new Yatra Parchi which needs to be preserved through-out the trek.
When we submitted the print out of our online generated Yatri Parchi, the person at the counter called the names of each individual member of our group and clicked a photograph installed at the window of the counter. Once all the members of the group were clicked, he handed over the Yatra Parchis for each of the member for us to take further.
When we submitted the print out of our online generated Yatri Parchi, the person at the counter called the names of each individual member of our group and clicked a photograph installed at the window of the counter. Once all the members of the group were clicked, he handed over the Yatra Parchis for each of the member for us to take further.
 |
| * Check Post for devotees with online Parchi |
As one
proceeds further, about 500 meters walk from Darshani Darwaaza, the devotees
comes across a big courtyard on the left hand side wherein once free langar
sewa (free serving of food) was organized. This is a famous langar of Late Mr.
Gulshan Kumar who was a staunch devotee of Mata and attributed all his success
and fame to her.
 |
| ~ Langar Services by Late Shri. Gulshan Kumar |
Baan Ganga
After the
Police Check Post and Yatra Parchi Check Post, the devotees reach a small
bridge under which flows Banganga, the legendary river associated with the
miracles and legends of Mata. The name of this river comes from two terms, Baan
(meaning arrow) and Ganga (implying sacred water as of holy river Ganges). It
is believed that Mata Vaishno Devi, while on her way to the Holy Cave, created
this water body with an arrow from her quiver, hence the name Banganga. As per
the legend, the goddess, accompanied by Langoor-Veer was moving to her destined
abode in the Trikuta Hills, when Langoor-veer felt thirsty. The goddess shot an
arrow into the ground and a spring gushed out. This is a sacred stream and many
devotees take a bathe in it before proceeding further.
 |
| * Baan Ganga |
Situated on
the bank of a small rivulet called Baan Ganga and at a height of 2700 ft.,
Baan Ganga is the first major station for devotees during on-foot journey from
Katra to Bhawan.
***Important Tips:
|
Geeta Bhawan Temple
 |
| ~ Colourful and divine entrance of Geeta Bhawan Temple |
After around 1.5
kms from Katra, and 750 meters from banganga, the devotees come across a
beautiful temple called Shri Geeta Bhawan. The temple is beautifully made with
Mata Rani (mother goddess) idol in sanctum sanctorum. The outside view of the
temple is as divine and picturesque as inside with two lions (symbolizing power
of mother goddess) gracing the gate of the temple and beautiful idols of Lord
Hanuman, Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati and Mother Saraswati installed besides. The
devotees are surely advised to take a halt and enjoy this beautiful temple of
Mata.
 |
| ~ Another view outside the Geeta Bhawan Temple |
Charan Paaduka Temple
 |
| ~ Charana Paaduka Temple considered as Pratham Darshan of Mata |
Approximately
after another 250 meters or so at an altitude of about 3380 feet, devotees come
across another divine temple known as Charan Paaduka Temple (charan meaning feet,
paaduka meaning imprints). This temple assumes importance as it houses the place
where the imprints of Mata's pious feet are believed to be imprinted on a rock
slab. Devotees pay obeisance at the footprints of Mata engraved on a rock slab
and proceeds further. Symbolically, it means touching the feet of Mata and
seeking Her blessings at the start of the journey. Earlier there was a small
temple at this place which is now replaced by a beautifully constructed big
temple. During
the normal rush, it doesn’t take more than 10-15 minutes for the devotees to
take darshan inside the temple. Photography inside the temple is strictly prohibited
thought one can click pictures from outside the temple.
 |
| * Footprints of Mata Rani at Charan Paaduka Temple |
As per the
legend, at this place Mata Rani (mother goddess) has stopped and turned around
to see whether 'Bhairon Nath' was still following her or not. The moment mother
goddess stopped here, Her footprints got imbibed on the rock, hence the name
‘Charan Paaduka’ (Feet Imprints).
On the way to Bhawan
Devotees need
not worry about the eatables or drinks on their way and should not bother to
heavy themselves by stocking food or water. There are many shops and food
joints available through-out the way for devotees for snacks, lunch, dinner,
juices etc. These include both the ones established by Shrine Board (like Alok,
Sameer, Indraprashtha etc.) and also some of the privately owned shops.
Further, there is adequate arrangement for medicine shops and nursing homes
after every few meters for the help of devotees suffering from any disease or
ailments.
 |
| ~ Climbing / Walking track for trek |
The entire track
of the 13 Km trek is laid with tiles and is very clean with cleaners &
sweepers visible periodically cleaning the tracks. At various places the track
is divided into two parts one for the devotees walking on the foot and other
half for the ponies so that the later don’t distract and disturb the walking
pilgrims. There are adequate arrangements for lighting to enable the devotees
walk at the night. After every few meters or so there are adequate shelter sheds
(called Vishram Sthals) being erected with chairs or stone slabs installed to
enable the devotees to halt and take rest. There are also sufficient facilities
for free toilets and water coolers established by the Shrine Board for the
benefit of the devotees.
Through-out
the trek, the scenery is immensely picturesque giving majestic views of the Trikuta Mountains on
the one side and the valley on the other. As one climbs up, the sight on the
valley side gets more and more beautiful full of greenery. One also spots bunch
of monkeys on the way through-out the trek but these don’t harm any devotees.
 |
| ~ Majestic view of the valley during the trek |
In addition
to the walking track, there are simultaneous stairs too through-out the trek which
are (in a way) short cuts connecting two walking tracks. But it is advisable,
especially to elderly devotees and ladies, to avoid these stairs particularly
while climbing upwards as these have the tendcncy to exhaust you quicker. The
best part is that every piece of stairs has a board at the start which mentions
the number of stairs in the stretch, which is very helpful as you may decide to
undertake some of the shorter stairs (but it’s purely dependent upon individual
stamina and appetite).
After having the darshan at Charan Paaduka temple, we took the stairs situated just adjacent to the temple on a test basis. However, some of the group members did feel the heat and were tired after the climb. After climbing two or three more stair stretches, we finally decided to follow the track instead of stairs.
After having the darshan at Charan Paaduka temple, we took the stairs situated just adjacent to the temple on a test basis. However, some of the group members did feel the heat and were tired after the climb. After climbing two or three more stair stretches, we finally decided to follow the track instead of stairs.
New Track at Inderprastha– Shorter &
Less Steeper
The Holy
Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi was taken over by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi
Shrine Board in the year 1986 and the Shrine Board has been constantly
undertaking endeavours to enhance the comfort and experience of the devotees.
One of the key achievements of the Board has been the construction of the
alternative track measuring 5.5 Km, which is shorter by about a kilometre and
is also less steep as compared to original track.
As the
devotees continue their trek, just before Adhkuwari there is a halting point at
Inderprastha where the way to new track is introduced to the devotees with a
sign board. From Inderprastha, there are two ways to go to Main Bhawan – one
the older trek via Adhkuwari (which is ~6.5 Km long) and other via Himkoti
(which is ~5.5 Km long). Hence, the newer trek is shorter by a kilometre and is
also less steep providing relief to the devotees climbing the trek. Further no
ponies are allowed on this track which again is appreciated by the devotees
walking on foot.
 |
| ~ Signboard at Inderprastha guiding towards new track |
It is
important to note that the newer track via Himkoti bypasses Adhkuwari and thus,
devotees desirous to have darshan of temple and Garbh Gufa at Adhkuwari before
going to Bhawan may not take this trek else they can take the Adhkuwari route
while coming back from Bhawan. Alternately, one can go to Adhkuwari, take
darshan there and come back to this new track (there is an option for the
devotees to re-connect to this new track from Adhkuwari too).
 |
| ~ New Track to Bhawan - Shorter & Less Steep |
Battery
vehicle facility is also available at Inderprastha (Adhkuwari) for infirm, sick
and handicap devotees. The booking of facility is subject to availability.
When we reached Inderprastha, we were in the dilemma with regard to Adhkuwari darshan as to whether we should try for the same or not (as I was aware of the longer darshan queues at the Adhkuwari cave). Still some of our group members were desirous of having the darshan just in case the rush there is less. While we were still deliberating on the issue, one of the fellow devotees climbing down from Adhkuwari told us that there is a waiting of atleast 2-3 hours at the Adhkuwari cave temple. Then we decided to go to Main Bhawan via Himkoti and come to Adhkuwari while climbing down to Katra.
When we reached Inderprastha, we were in the dilemma with regard to Adhkuwari darshan as to whether we should try for the same or not (as I was aware of the longer darshan queues at the Adhkuwari cave). Still some of our group members were desirous of having the darshan just in case the rush there is less. While we were still deliberating on the issue, one of the fellow devotees climbing down from Adhkuwari told us that there is a waiting of atleast 2-3 hours at the Adhkuwari cave temple. Then we decided to go to Main Bhawan via Himkoti and come to Adhkuwari while climbing down to Katra.
Adhkuwari – The Half Way Mark
Further 500
meters from Inderprastha, at an altitude of 4800 feet, is Adhkuwari located. Adhkuwari
is the half way mark on the track as it is situated at a distance of nearly 6 Km
from Katra. The Holy Cave at Bhawan is nearly 6 Km away from this point. The moment
devotees march towards from Inderprastha, after sometime they can get a glimpse
of the fluttering flag and temple spires and can hear continuous announcements
from Adhkuwari.
 |
| * Adhkuwari - The Half Way Mark. The temple can also be seen in the background |
The term Adhkuwari
is believed to have come from Adi kumari, which means "The Eternal
Virgin". According to the legend, when Mata Rani, in the form of a small
girl, disappeared from the Bhandaara organized by Pandit Shridhar, she halted
at Banganga and Charan Paduka. From there She reached Adhkuwari, where, in a
small womb shaped cave she meditated and observed spiritual discipline
(Tapasya) for nine long months. The exact spot where she is believed to have
meditated is located at the right hand side inside the cave and is shaped like
a womb. Since Mata had observed spiritual discipline in a womb shaped cave for
a period of nine months, this cave has become popular by the name of Garbh
Joon, which has come from the term Garbh Yoni meaning the Womb. It is generally
believed that by merely passing through this cave, a devotee's sins are
cleansed and his soul becomes pious again.
When during
her meditation Mata realized that Bhairon Nath had approached the cave in Her
search, She created an exit at the other end with Her trident and proceeded
towards the Holy Cave.
Adhkuwari Temple & Cave
As mentioned
above, there is a cave at Adhkuwari wherein Mata resided for 9 months, thus the
same assumes spiritual importance to the devotees. The cave is very narrow and
only one person can pass through it at a time. While the entrance is
comfortably broad, it tends to get
narrow as one enters further & the person starts wondering whether it would
be possible for him to pass through it or not.
As only one
person can pass through the cave at one time, there is usually huge rush there at
and darshan to the same are done through number system. Devotees desirous of
having darshan of the cave have to get a sequence number by showing his Yatri
Parchi at the counter. The darshan turn arrives when the sequence number is
reached. Due to paucity of time, we couldn’t visit the Adhkuwari cave and
prostrated from outside paying our homage to Mother. Many times devotees
register themselves for the cave and head towards Main Bhawan for Mother
goddess darshan and while returning / trekking back from the Bhawan stop here
at Adhkuwari and have a visit to the cave (presuming they are fortunate and get
their sequence number reached during the timeframe).
 |
| ~ Devotees halting and taking rest at Adhkuwari |
Alternatively, many devotees
also choose to wait and take rest at Adhkuwari till their turn for darshan
comes. There is a provision for blankets, which are given free of cost to the
devotees at the security of INR 100. There are also accommodation facilities
available for devotees but these need to be booked in advance to avoid last
minute hiccups.
The point to
be noted here is that the sequence number is only there for the visit to cave
and not to the temple. The temple’s darshan can be done by anyone without any
slip or number.
***Important Tips:
|
We will stop here for now and will resume
our trek from Adhkuwari to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi & further
to Bhairon Temple in next post…Jai Mata Di (Hail Mother Goddess)
Note: Pictures with asterisk (*) are sourced from the internet and rest have been clicked by me from my smartphone. Legend of Mata Rani has been adapted from Shrine Board website.
~
Shubh Life . . . OM Sai Ram
© 2014 Manish Purohit (Reserved)
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