Mata Vaishno Devi temple, Katra
Katra is the India’s most sacred pilgrimage place, which is located 61km away north to Jammu. Katra is actually situated at a height of 5300 feet, on sanctified Trikuta Mountain. The holy temple of Mata Vaishno Devi covers an area of 13km, inside a cave of famous Himalayan Mountains. This enshrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Devotees are asked to form a queue to witness the holy sanctum and get the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi. A stream namely, “Charan ganga” flows across the packed tunnel. Planning a pilgrimage Vaishno Devi yatra is not advised in winter as most of the paths are blocked by snow which is an immense blockage.
Legends Associated with Vaishno Devi
Hindu Mythology says that Vaishno Devi was actually a sincere devotee of Lord Vishnu and she used to pray Lord Rama with immense purity and serenity. It is also believed that on this very land, Goddess Durga took the form of Maha Kali to kill the vicious evil known as Bhairon. It is believed that one cannot come here to receive the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi until and unless Mata calls her devotees herself. And it is the reason that they get superfluous energy and inspiration to climb the mountain to pay a visit to Mata Vaishno Devi’s holy shrine. People sing songs for Vaishno Devi while climbing the mountain like, “Zhor se bolo Jai Mata Di, Prem Se Bolo Jai Mata Di”. And the whole atmosphere takes you to a different magical world.
Dedicated to Goddess Vaishno
Once you enter the holy cave which the home of Mata Vaishno Devi, you can see three Pindis namely “Maha Kali”, “Maha Saraswati” and “Maha Laxmi”. A five and half feet tall rock structure with the mentioned three Pindis represent the divinity and serenity of the powerful Goddess Vaishno Devi. 'Surya', 'Sinh Raj', ‘Shiva’, ‘Pashupatinath’, 'Chander' and 'Dhrupad Ji', are the holy symbols which encircle all the Pindis. What makes Mata Vaishno Devi so powerful that she is the symbol of three powerful Goddesses. And amazingly, each Goddess represent different strengths. 'Maha Kali' represents Tam Gun, where Tam symbolizes somberness and misery. 'Maha Saraswati symbolizes Sat Va Gun and Sat va stands for serenity, honesty and truth. Prosperity, felicity and good luck is symbolized by 'Maha Laksmi who represents Raj Gun.