Complete guide to Vaishno Devi Yatra
After completing my first Yatra to Maa Vaishno Devi Katra, I would like to share my experience with you which can help you to plan your yatra.
Jai Mata Di……
Pre-Planning & Bookings
Best time to visit here is? I cant give a perfect answer to this, because everyone has his own thinking, I prefer during the low season like oct., Jan, Feb., Etc. if you come here during Festival time of vacation time, you have to face the heavy rush of devotees & all rates are also higher, which creates more inconvenience for you everywhere. so I planned my Journey right after Navratri in Month of October in the year 2017.
Room Booking:
Vaishnodevi Shrine Board Provides Good Facility of stay at Various Locations in Jammu & Katra. If you wish to stay among one of this locations, we recommend you to book your Room in Advance Only. Booking open 60 Days in advance at 10:00 AM. To book your room you need to visit the official website of Board (https://www.maavaishnodevi.org/) & create your ID first, once you got your password on mail now you can log in & use various services of Board i.e. Room Booking, Helicopter Booking, Yatra Parchi, Pooja Booking etc.
Most preferable stay is Niharika Bhavan in Katra (we also stayed here), This place is centrally located in Katra, near Bus Stand & Main Market. Rooms are nice & clean, (rent starts from 850/-) if you wish to stay here for more than one day please do book your room at the time advance booking, you won't find any room at last moment.
Helicopter Booking:
Helicopter booking is done with same website & ID of Board, currently, two Companies operate this service one is Himalayan & other Global Vectra. Booking open 60 Days in advance at 10:00 AM, at 10:00 am keep your computer ready with ID & Password because in few seconds all seats get booked so be quick.
Yatra Parchi:
This is also the most important process of your yatra, this is kind of reservation of your darshan of Mata.
Do keep all printout of all bookings with you. (also read Instructions given on website carefully to avoid any inconvenience).
Train or Flight booking:
Do your travel booking after completing all above bookings first. Jammu is the nearest Airport, Karta is now also part of Rail network, we choose to travel by train, From Jammu Tavi Station new route is extended till Katra, this route is very Scenic & full of Tunnels. you can also reach here by road.
Things to remember:
Carry your Valid ID Proof with you. Once you enter Jammu & Kashmir State your mobile will not work if you are a prepaid subscriber of any network, Only AIRTEL Postpaid & BSNL subscriber will get service here. Or you can buy new temporary Yatra SIM form any outlets in Katra by providing your ID.
Yatra Starts:
Day 1:
We Started our Journey from Mumbai at 8:30 am from Borivali Station via 12471 Swaraj Express. this train took approx 33 hours to cover 2011 km. at an average speed of 65 km/hr. & reach Katra next day at around 5:30 PM. we enjoyed great family time in here.
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| Day 1 in train |
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| Day 2 in train |
Day 2 :
almost In train and reach Katra by time at 5:30 pm, Katra station was very neat & clean, and it looks like an airport with all modern facilities.
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| Scenic route from Jammu to Katra |
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| Entering Katra Station |
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| see that clean platform |
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| we reached before sunset |
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| Karta Railway Station |
As we come to exit point we have seen so many people waiting at Yatra Parchi Counter (Thank God we already did it online). now there are many Yatra Parchi counters in Katra so don't waste your time here. & finally, we took selfie station main entrance.
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| Huge Crowd at Katra Station |
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| Selfie at Katra station |
We booked our room at Niharika Bhavan, Near Bus Depot. so we took an auto. Auto in Karta is very costly. we paid Rs.200 for such a short distance. We check-in to the room, the room is nice not that great but its good & well maintained, the bathroom is also very clean & Hygienic, rooms also have balconies in it & our room is having a view of Trikuta hills, the main mountain of Vaishno Devi.
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| Room Inside view (you also get an extra bed) |
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| clean bathroom |
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| our balcony |
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| Trikuta hill day view from our balcony |
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| Trikuta hill night view from our balcony |
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| Niharika Complex Katra |
after having dinner (you mostly find Vaishno food in here without onion & garlic) we sleep early as next day have to get up early by 3:30 am as we planned to start by 4:30 am.
Before you start your yatra first prepare your checklist while leaving for yatra you need to check-out your room & keep your luggage in clock room at Niharika Bhavan (this service is free). Just carry minimum things with you i.e. Water bottle, some energy bars or chocolates & candies, you can also keep some glucose candy with you. Normally you find everything on your route but this is for emergency situations. Food available on the route is bit costly, but now there are many restaurants operated by Shrine Board on yatra route which provides you healthy food at reasonable price.
Let me explain Step by step guide of yatra route, Your Start point is Ban Ganga Check post (Aka Darshani Darwaza), to reach here you can take an auto or if you wish you can walk also, but I this you should save your energy for a further journey, Parking Lot is also available here. Once you reach Ban Ganga you need to pass first security check & Validate your Yatra Parchi. (keep your Yatra Parchi with you until you take Darshan).
We Skip this as we have already freshened up at our Room while walking we had some tea & BF, this route is always busy with devotees & Donkeys too, who carry supply to the top, so be careful with them they might hit you if you don’t walk carefully.
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| Donkeys carrying heavy load |
After walking for around 1:30 hrs. (1.5 km) we reach next point, which is Charan Paduka the place where the imprints of Mata's pious feet are believed to be imprinted on a rock slab. The Darshans at Charan Paduka do not take more than a few minutes on a normal day. A medical unit of the Shrine Board is also located here.
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| Charan Paduka Mandir |
During your journey you can see many devotees chanting Jai Mata Di…. And even you can also find local people playing Dhool to motivate you in your Yatra, you can donat them some money if you wish.
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| local men playing Dhool |
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| Selfie time on Yatra "Jai Mata Di" |
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| Palkhi |
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| CCD for coffee lovers |
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| water coolers available at a very frequent distance |
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| way to Adhkuwari |
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| Sometimes we choose stairs to save time |
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| but after stairs, we need some rest |
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| Aerial view of Katra |
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| Katra viewpoint |
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| Zoom view of Katra Railway Station |
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| Aerial View of Main entrance gate form viewpoint |
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| Stairways |
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| we can find devotees in full energy |
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| Sunlight is giving warm feeling in cold climate |
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| different modes of the yatra |
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| we continued to take stairs |
after walking further we spot the first view of Adhkuwari complex.
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| Adhkuwari |
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| Entering Adhkuwari |
After having all this experience finally, we reach Adhkuwari, Adkuwari is the halfway mark on the track as it is situated at a distance of nearly 6 km. We reach here by around 10:00 am. Adkuwari is one of the most important Darshans on the visit, second only to the main Darshans at the Holy Cave. The term Adkuwari is believed to have come from Adi kumari, which means "The Eternal Virgin". According to the legend, when Vaishnavi, in the form of a small girl, disappeared from the Bhandara organized by Pandit Shridhar, she halted at Banganga and Charan Paduka. From there she reached Adkuwari, where, in a small womb shaped cave she meditated and observed spiritual discipline (Tapasya) for nine long months. this cave has become popular by the name of Garbh Joon, which has come from the term Garbh Yoni meaning the Womb. Since the cave is very narrow, only one person can pass through it at a time. While the entrance is comfortably broad, as one enters further one starts wondering whether it would be possible for him to pass through it or not.
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| Adhkuwari |
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| Guest House at Adhkuwari |
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| Blanket & Parchi Counter |
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| another Guest House at Adhkuwari |
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| Main Darshan area & way to Cave |
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| from here you can get your group no. |
But to take this Darshan you have to take your group number from the counter, normally waiting time is approx. 24 to 36 hours, so if you wish to take darshan here you need to pre-plan this. (The plan is while going up you take your group no. while returning also come by the same route and wait until your group no. comes, in the single group they are sending 50 persons at once, and normally it took 2 hrs. to finish it. You can also get accommodation here in a dormitory or if you want the room you can book in advance). During our visit, the waiting is for more than 36 hrs. & we have to return by same day, so sadly we skip this.
From this place onward you can find two options for your further yatra, one is old route & second one is Newly opened Route through Himkoti. If you don’t wish to walk further Battery vehicle facility is also available at Inderprasth (Adhkuwari) and Manokmana Bhawan till Bhavan, normally this facility is for Senior Citizens & sick or Disable persons but during low rush, they carry anyone who wishes to go. (@Rs.350 PP).
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| a new way to Bhavan |
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| need to cross the small tunnel |
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| this new route is very clean |
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| Bhaint (Souvenir) Shop |
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| here you find monkeys mostly they are harmless |
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| but sometimes you may see some supply chain |
We took the new route via Himkoti, from Adhkuwari you can see some tunnel kinda gate which will lead you to this new route is 500 meters shorter than the old track. This track is much wider as compared to the existing track and is also easier to negotiate because of uniformity of climb and lower gradient.
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| Satya Bhojnalaya |
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| Ambulance facility is also available |
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| Battery Vehicle |
while crossing this new route two viewpoints, three sales outlet, refreshment units, drinking water cooler have been installed on the Track. A number of Tea/Coffee, Soft Drinks sales outlets have been installed. An adequate number of Toilet blocks have been constructed . A sufficient number of Shelter Sheds are also available. This entire route is around 5 Kms. Long.
After covering about 2.75 km. We reached Himkoti, Himkoti is one of the most beautiful spots on this track with breathtaking scenic views of the entire valley. Although there is no traditional or religious significance associated with this point, Shrine Board has developed a viewpoint, restaurant and a Dosa counter here. Packed and cooked food including meals, hot and cold beverages and other important items including Medicare and oxygen cylinders are also available here. There is an adequate place to rest and relax and also enjoy the beauty of nature.
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| entering Himkoti |
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| Restaurant & viewpoint at Himkoti |
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| Police check post at Himkoti |
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| Saket Restaurant |
from little further from Himkoti, you can able to get the first glimpse of Bhavan.
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| first glimpse of Bhavan |
On this new route, you can able to walk faster. We reach Bhavan by 1:00 PM Bhavan is the main Complex where the Main cave is located there is not any Temple type structure over here.
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| Almost reaching to Bhavan |
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| Yatra Parchi Registration Counter |
Before entering to Bhavan area you need re-validate your Yatra Parachi again & final security check. The battery car will also drop you here.
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| Getting more closer to Bhavan |
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| we spot old route |
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| Last stop of Battery vehicle |
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| Photo time |
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| last security checkpoint |
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| entering to Bhavan ( ropeway work is also in progress) |
The Holy Bhawan is the main center of reverence for the devotees. It is also the key location in the entire Yatra circuit. Therefore, adequate arrangements and facilities have been created by the Shrine Board for the convenience of the devotees. These include free & rented accommodation, Toilet Blocks, Bhojanalayas, Post Office, Banks, Communication (STD/PCO), Announcement Centers, Blanket Stores, Cloak Rooms, Medical Dispensary (with an ICU), General Stores, Bhaint Shops, Police Station, etc.
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| Pillars for Ropeway |
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| Battery car Ticket counter for return journey |
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| Bhojanlaya at Bhavan |
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| coupon counter |
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| self service Dining area |
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| TV's installed in this way where you can get first Darshan of Pindies |
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| We visited just after Dussera so got chance to see this decoration |
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| Reaching to last Locker Room |
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| Entire view of Bhavan |
At Clock room you have to keep all your bags & shoes etc. mobiles & cameras are also not allowed after last Locker counter.
As you enter here you feel a great energy & forget all your tiredness of Yatra. In a normal season, it took around 30 to 45 mins. to compete Darshan & come back. In Main Holy Cave there is not any Idol like other temples, There is in the form of a five and a half feet tall rock with three heads or the Pindies on the top is the ultimate destination of a devotee. These Pindies constitute the Sanctum Sanctorum of the holy cave known as the shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji, which is revered by one and all.
(to know more about Mata Vaishno Devi visit this official page of Shrine Board https://www.maavaishnodevi.org/mata_vaishno_devi_ji.aspx )
Without wasting more time we rapidly finish Darshan and came back to Clock room & collect our Bags & Don’t forget to collect your Prasad & small Silver coin given by Shrine Board to each and every devotee.
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| Jai Mata Di |
Now our next stop is Bhairon Temple, its belief that whereby every devotee, in order to ensure completion of the pilgrimage of Vaishno Devi, shall also have to visit Bhairon Nath's temple, this temple is more 2 km top from Bhavan, from here you can also get pony or pithu.
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| Way to Bhairon Temple |
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| Pony Pithoo Rate card |
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| More uphill walk |
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| while walking you can get a top view of Bhavan |
we started walking uphill, this route is also covered with shed, in between you can take stairs for short-cut but this is not for senior citizens or people with heart or lung problem.
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| Steps make you more tired |
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| more steps |
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| finally, we reached |
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| at Bhairon temple |
We reach on top by around 2:30 PM all types of basic facilities are available every ware a refreshment unit named Vandana has been started. The Temple area has been beautified by fixing marble tiles and slabs along the pre-ambulation of the temple. All these efforts have made the visit of the pilgrims to Bhairon temple much more convenient and memorable. In front of Main Temple area, there is huge terrace was built where Devotees can rest or enjoy a spectacular view of surrounded mountains & valley, you can get an aerial view of Bhavan complex from here.
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| Bhairon Temple |
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| Open area in front of Temple |
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| View of Bhavan from Bhairon Ghati |
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| Sit relax & enjoy view |
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| Selfie time with Bhavan |
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| Story of Bhairon Nath |
As you reach here you need to weigh yourself at the ticket counter and get a Boarding pass, on the pass they give you some sort of number, in one service 6 passengers are allowed, you need to seat as per your weight.
Overall it’s an amazing experience for all of us. hope this article will help you to plan your trip as well.
Jai Mata Di…..
