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"Chalo Bulawa Aaya Hai, Mata ne Bulaya Hai"

Vaishno Devi is the holiest and the most visited shrine in the whole country after Tirupati Balaji in Andhra Pradesh. This Hindu pilgrimage is dedicated to the Goddess Shakti, located around 12 kilometers away from Katra in the Udhampur district. It is located at an altitude of 1615 meters on the Trikuta Hills in the Shivalik Range.

There are three rock cut statues which are 100 feet long cave where in the middle one represents Goddess Lakshmi, the right represents Goddess Kali and left represents Goddess Saraswati. The people whether they are rich or poor, young or old, sick or healthy experiences the challenging trek from Katra to this holy shrine. When one joins the group to reach the cave the devotion runs down in one's body with every breath that we take.

Legends associated with the Vaishno Devi Shrine:

Travel Information about Vaishno Devi:

One can easily visit the Vashino Devi shrine all through the year but journey till the shrine in winters is extremely difficult. It is located at the distance of 48 kilometers from Jammu airport and also from Jammu Tawi railway station. One can easily hire a taxi or can also take a bus to Katra stand. This is the spot from where the Yatra starts.

Before the start of yatra one must get the yatra slip from Yatra registration counter in the Tourism Center at Katra bus stand. Carrying that yatra slip is mandatory for all the pilgrims. On the way one can find the refreshments and the resting areas and the climb is fairly steep and tiring.

For the one who finds the journey difficult they can take a ride on pony or palanquin. On reaching the bhavan one will get the batch after showing your yatra slip at the registration office. After getting the batch one will get the number that will tell you the position in the queue for Darshan. One should deposit all the offerings at the entrance of the cave and must never forget to collect the prasad on the exit.