VaishnoDevi

VaishnoDevi- Mother of the Universe.

Vaishno Devi is amongst the most revered Hindu Pilgrimage sites in India. Nestled in the Trikuta Hills in Jammu, the cave temple of Goddess Parvati or Shakti is said to be the abode of 33 Hindu gods. An all season pilgrimage, Vaishno Devi is thronged by more than 10 millions pilgrims every year.

The devotees choose different ways like walking bare foot , as well as crawling all the way to seek Goddess blessings and pay gratitude for the wish fulfilment.

Vaishno Devi is believed to the bestower of strength to weak, sight to the blind, wealth to the poor and bless childless couples with children. This is why followers make it a point to visit her regularly in spite of the shrine being quite unapproachable, location-wise.

Top 5 tourist attractions to see in Vaishno Devi:

1.Ardh Kuwari Cave:

Before making the Bhavan her abode, Mata Vaishno Devi was believed to have taken rest in this cave for 9 months . Today, this cave acts as a stopover for the pilgrims on their journey up to the Bhavan. There is a long queue leading to a narrow opening at the base of the Rockwall, through which one has to crawl for a few minutes to reach the other side. A large shrine dedicated to the goddess-- Kali , Laxmi and Saraswati is also built here. The darshan route is semicircular, so that you exit from a different opening at a small distance from the entry route.
2. Bhairavnath Temple, Vaishno Devi:

No journey to Katra is complete without having visited Bhairavnath Mandir. The cave temple of Bhairavnath is dedicated to a saint by that name. A steep 2 k.m. from the Bhavan leads you to Bhairavnath Mandir.
History of Bhairavnath Temple:
Mata Vaishno who was born to a couple in a Southern part of India gave up all worldly desires and moved to Trikuta Hills to find the answers of her life. Once Mata took a form of a girl and asked Shridhar to organise a big feast for the devotees here, Shridhar met Bhairavnath and also invited him for the holy feast.
Bhairav was all taken away by the auraof little Mata Vaishno and even demanded alcohol cand non-veg in the feast. Despite Mata telling him a big No, he didn't stop and rather started following Mata Vaishno and disturbed her meditation.
Bhairav kept chasing Mata Vaishno consequently for nine months in Trikuta Hills and followed her into the cave but, Maa quickly opened a path on the other end and escaped. Yet, Bhairav was adamant to chase Mata this infuriated Mata and she finally took her real form to behead the notorious Bhairav's head.
But, before dying Bhairav genuinely apologised for his misbehavior and realised the powers of Mata Rani and even asked her for forgiveness. This melted Mata Vaishnavi's heart and as she is Maa ,she had to forgive wicked Bhairavnath.
Goddess Vaishno not only liberated Bhairavnath from the cycle of reincarnation but also gave him a boon.
According to which, Mata's devotees who will visit the holy shrine for her darshan will have to visit Baba Bhairavnath's Mandir as well , without which their Darshan won't complete.
Later, a temple was built on the place where Bhairavnath's head fell and devotees offer alcohol in Bhairav's Mandir.
3.Shopping in Vaishnodevi:

The main shopping places are Bhavan, Sanjichhat, Adhkuwari , Katra bus stand and VaishnoDevi Dham ( Jammu). Katra is famous for the shops selling embroidered fabrics, Salwari motifs are worth buying. Katra is a good place to buy dry fruits like almonds and walnuts.
4.Dera Baba Banda:

A major pilgrimage centre for Sikhs, Dera Baba Banda attracts visitors of different religions as well. The 300 year old complex has a Gurudwara, built by Guru Gobind Singh's favourite 'Saint Soldier' Baba Banda Bairagi on the banks of river Chenab.
Some of its main main attractions include:
Ashes of Banda Bahadur
An arrow given by Guru Gobind Singh Ji and a huge sword used by Banda during wars.
Every year an average of 30,000 devotees from all over the nothern India visit this place on the occasion of Vaishakhi's three day fair.
Few points to keep in mind before visiting Dera Baba Banda:
It is located about 25 k.m. away from Katra.
It's entry is free.
It is open daily from 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
5.Katra:

The Shrine of Vaishnodevi , one of the most important places of worship in India calls the little town of Katra it's home. Located in the Uddhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir, Katra is mostly visited by devotees of Lord Shiva.

Name of some best popular hotels near Vaishnodevi:
1.Best Western Swing High Katra.