Vaishno Devi - Jai Mata Di !!!

                                          Maa Vaishno Devi Yatra!!! 

  We started our journey with Shri Shakti Express from New Delhi to Katra. The train was perfectly timed as it reached just before 6 am at Katra. 

We had a booking at IRCTC Guest house for the same day but check -in was after 12 Noon. They have us free locker and facility to freshen up. The good part was they also offered to drop us to Baan Ganga in the Hotel cab free-of-cost. For bookings, I am sharing the name card below. The guest house needs to be booked online and preferably in advance. They also have a nice shopping complex which gives all items such as dry fruits, Kidney beans, clothes, and gifting items at very reasonable price. 

Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has started a process of Digital cards. There is no need to take the Yatra Parchi now, rather visitors have to register at one of the centers and get a digital card which has to be returned or dropped at the drop box at the end of Yatra. We did collect ours right at the railway station by sharing our Name and Mobile Number. You can see me wearing the same in the photo. 

Once this is collected, we got dropped at the Baan Ganga Check Post by our hotel cab. This is the first frisking point where checking is done and also if tourists are carrying any bag gets checked properly. As we were waiting for our turn, we grabbed a cup of tea while in the queue, since we had not taken anything after we got down from the train in the morning. It was so refreshing and gave us instant energy. 

After we crossed the frisking point, the first thing one notices is "Baan Ganga". It is a small stream that originates from the mountains and the pilgrims usually take a bath in the stream before proceeding on the uphill trek to the shrine. 

 Charan Paduka is the next stop. There is a beautiful temple and some good eating joints here. 

There are new routes opened up now and there are numerous options to reach the bhawan.

·       Start < Tarakote Marg (7 kms) < connect just before ardhkuwari < New walking path (6 kms) < Bhawan

·       Start < Old router < connect just before ardhkuwari < New walking path (6 kms) < Bhawan

 

·       Start < Old Router < ardhkuwari < Sanjhi Chat < Bhawan

·       Start < Helicoptor Ride from Banganga < Sanjhi Chat < Bhawan

Within the above stated routes, they can be preferred based on one’s choice. Tarakote Marg is only for walking and horses/ ponies are not allowed in that router. Similarly, New walking path from Ardhkuwari also does not allow any horses/ ponies and hence is more clean. However, there are electric vehicles which have a fixed time on this new walking path from Ardhkuwari where the EVs go up and down.

The ponies can be hired either from the start of the journey or from Ardhkuwari as well. The charges would depend on where they have been hired from and till what point.

The route that we chose was: 

• Frisking Point < Ban Ganga < Old walking Track crossing Charan Paduka (till or just before ardh kuwari) < Himkoti Marg < Bhawan
• Bhawan < Cable Car < Bhairon Mandir < Cable Car < Bhawan < Himkoti Marg < Charan Paduka < Ban Ganga < Exit

There are lot of shops on the way. We continued to walk and take breaks after every 15 – 20 minutes. 

At times, we took some snack break but made sure that we do not eat anything heavy so that it is not a hindrance as we climb up. On the way up, we can hear the slogans – “Sare bolo, Jai Mata di”, “Mein nahi sunya, Jai Mata Di”. While we are near to the bhawan, there are slogans like – Jai Kara Shera Wali mata da, bol sache darbar ki jai 😊 These charge the devotees with energy, and they forget any tiredness due to climbing uphill.  

Vaishno Devi Shrine board – Rajma Chawal is a must eat. I will make sure that I eat vada sambhar and Rajma Chawal at least either climbing up or coming down from the Shrine board shops. These are very reasonably priced and are light no stomach as well. 

Below is my friend, Rajesh, eating after we were pushing him not to take rests frequently and he managed to grab a vada pav with team thinking that we did not know, but I captured him. 

I have visited Vaishno Devi at least 10 times in my life prior to this visit but what made this trip memorable in my 40+ years of age is the shower in Ban Ganga before visiting the shrine. The dip can be taken either at the start of the journey or at the Bhawan, just before darshan. The water is icy cold but is a must do place. The below pic is after we had darshan. 

At the bhawan, we took Prasad which included a Nariyal and chunni for Rs 100. There are more options with rates such as Rs 150 which adds some dry fruit to it. You can collect Nariyal tokens while in the queue to darshan and after darshan they will give the Nariyal on giving the token back. 

Please also note that even in the darshan queue there are a lot of stairs and it might be difficult for people with knee problems or someone who finds it difficult to climb stairs. The old Gufa allows permit only once or two times in a year and is closed for the rest of the year. There are two more gufas which have opened up to ease darshan. These are well ventilated and easy to go through. There is a water fountain after the darshan where we can get "chrnamrit" - holy water which comes from the feet of the Goddess herself. 

After Darshan, I always treat myself well of saving money by coming on foot. 

After collecting our articles such as Purse, Belt, Mobile phone and shoes from locker at the bhawan (since there are not allowed to be carried for darshan), there is a street which has a lot of restaurants now. During my last visit, I tried Sagar Ratna. The food was nice, the place was a crowded though and had self-service. This time we also tried “Nathus”. I must say that the food quality was good, though the quantity looked less, but the best part was that they delivered it on the table. After a tiring journey, all a human body is want some rest and we got that as we sat here at “Nathus”.

Post the meal, we got into the queue for Cable Car ride for Bhairo Mandir. 

It was a long queue and took almost an hour to reach the ticket counter. However, it was quick after we got the ticket. It costed Rs 100 for a round trip, and after spending another 15 minutes in the queue, we got into the cable car. It helped us reach the top in less than 5 minutes. I must say that the wait was worth it as we could have reach uphill – almost 2 Kms in a short span of time. There was not much rush and we could complete darshan in another 15 minutes. The same cable car took us back to the bhawan, but this time there was no queue and we could come back much earlier. Once back, we were fully charged to return to our hotel. We started walking, rather slow jogging as it is easier to go with the slope instead of stopping our body and slowing down.

There were lot of shops offering message and we could find the rates going down as we were reaching ban ganga.It is an automatic machine which can give message to legs, feet, back, and neck without any human touch and costed just Rs 30 for 15 minutes. We felt relaxed after the message.

 Panchmeva Prasad is another hygienic and healthy gift to take – costing just Rs 100 for 4 packets. It includes Cashew, Almonds, coconut slices, and dry dates.

Our way down was much faster and we reached "Ban Ganga" in less than three hours. Post that, we went to the hotel and had a lavish dinner to treat ourselves for the 24+ km trek that we did on the day. We also took some hot water and immersed our legs into it before getting to sleep. 

Local Sight Seeing Places

Next day after darshan, local places can be explored to make the trip more adventurous.

Shiv Khori – Ancient Shiv temple with cave giving a feeling of the previous Vaishno Devi Gufa. It is just 3.5 Kms uphill and must be visited by anyone who is missing the feeling of the Viashno Devi Gufa. It is around 85 Kms from Katra. Just before 10 kms, it has two ways to reach to reach with each one being preferred by the cab driver for their own reasons. I have travelled on both and found that the first way is better as it crosses through the town and there are more shops on this way. They charge Rs 30 on this way as “eco-friendliness” toll.

Nau Devi Mandir – It is said that all nine goddesses have been together here at a point of time so that their devotees can pay tribute to all of them together at this one place.

Baba Dhansar – Almost 250 stairs but the view is worth it. It has a waterfall, water flowing with a Shiv Temple on one side and Baba Dhansar, which is an avatar of Shesh Naag, on the other. The place is a delight to the eyes. 

White Water Rafting – On the way to Shiv Khori, there is a place almost mid-way where rafting can be done. It is much safer here when compared with Rishikesh due to the government being strict about it. If you are an adventure seeker, then then is not the place. But if you are a family person and consider safety over adventure, this might be a better option. The prices start from Rs 3,000 per person and goes up depending on the timing/ Kms of the rafting one wants to do.

Sulla Park – This is just another park on the way to Shiv Khori. There are ponds, temple, and garden. This is located on the main road and next to the river. You might want to spend some time in the evening in case your kids enjoy garden and greenery, but otherwise you can skip it or take a glance in 5 -10 minutes and take is as a short stop in your journey. We did the same and spent not more than 10 minutes as we were a group of friends. 

Waterfall – There is a huge and beautiful waterfall as well on the way. We stopped there for a few minutes and visited the next text to it. It is said that a few years back temple used to be just next to the waterfall but due to landslide, it got damaged and hence moved a few metres away from the waterfall. Due to landslide in the past, going near the waterfall is forbidden now.

Bhimgarh Fort – Popularly known as Reasai Fort, as it lies in Reasai district, is another place to visit. When we visited the place, restoration work was going on. One has to climb to the top to enjoy the views and scenic beauty. There is a temple inside the fort and also a “AC room”, which is a must see for everyone visiting this fort. There is cold breeze running throughout the day in this room, without having even a single fan and the views from the top of the fort are mesmerizing. We went around 12 Noon and were sweating as we climbed the fort. But the good part was that we did not loose hope and reached the top. It was worth the effort but please note that it might not be comfortable for children as the slope is steep and weather might not be favorable.

Baba Jito: He was a devotee of Mata Vaishno devi and was blessed with a daughter because of her wishes. The temple complex has seven water streams, which are said to be pious. There is one water source where one can take bath as well. Often devotees take this water home for getting their wishes fulfilled. 

Devi Ma Mandir: This is another temple in the vicinity and has Devi Maa, Panch Mukhi Hanuman ji, and Shesh Nag Temple. It is said that Maa herself did meditation here. We can also see the Vaishno Devi route to the bhawan from this place. 

    All in all, I feel that it is a must visit to Maa Vaishno Devi. But if you can spare another day or two to explore Katra, it would make your trip even more enjoyable as most of the pilgrims come back after doing darshan. There are other nearby places such as Patnitop which would also need a day to go and come back.

Finally, we came back to our homes with lots and lots of happy memories. 

May Vaishno Mata fulfil all your desires and wishes. Jai Mata Di !!!

Suggested Itinerary: 

• Day 1 - Visit Maa Vaishno Devi Shrine 
• Day 2 - Katra sight-seeing (Suggested places: Shiv Khori using old gufa, Nau Devi Mandir, and Baba Dhansar - if there are time constraints) 

Suggested Time: 

• At least 2 days to enjoy both darshan and Katra sight-seeing. 
• In case you wish to do only darshan, then 1 day to 1.5 days is enough. 

Suggested Budget: 

• Train / Bus ticket - Rs 600 to 1200 (Depending on the starting point and mode chosen)
• One night hotel stay - Rs600 to 4000 per night 
• Food options - Rs 100 - 400 per meal 
• Taxi, if opting for Katra sight-seeing - Rs 3,000 - 3,500 
• Auto can take around Rs 600 without Shiv Khori for sight-seeing
• Shopping - Keep at least Rs 500

If you like the blog or have any questions in terms of itinerary, you can write to me at amitbansal71812@gmail.com or whatsapp me at +91-9880433006. 

P.S: I am not a travel agent, but I love travelling and would like to share my experiences with as many travellers as possible. You have to make your own itinerary and plans as per your travel requirements, but I am always available for suggestions.