Vaishno Devi Temple

Vaishno Devi Temple, also known as the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple and Vaishno Devi Bhavan, is a Hindu temple located in Katra, Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Dedicated to Vaishno Devi, a manifestation of godesses Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasarasvati, it is located on the Trikuta mountain at an elevation of 5,200 feet (1,500 meters). The Shakti tradition considers it to be a Shakti Pitha. The temple is located 43 km from the main city of Jammu and 29 km from the district headquarters Reasi town. The temple is governed by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) and has been chaired by the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir since August 1986.

It is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimage sites in India, with millions of devotees visiting the temple annually. In 2023, SMVDSB reported 9.52 million piligrims paying obeisance to the holy shrine.

History

Although the Vaishno Devi temple is now the most popular Devi shrine in the region, its popularity is relatively recent. In 1971, when Inderjit Bhardwaj did a study of Devi shrines in the Siwalik mountains, he did not mention the Vaishno Devi temple as particularly important.. Its popularity increased rapidly after an expansion was done in 1976 so that it could accommodate up to 5,000 visitors per day. By 1981, annual visitors to the shrine were about 900,000; by the early 1990s, the number had increased to over 3 million, and the Vaishno Devi temple had become by far the most popular Devi temple in the region. By 2007, the annual number of pilgrims was about 7.5 million. In June 2007, in order to reduce congestion and improve security, the Shrine Board reduced the limit on the number of visitors allowed per month.

The Vaishno Devi temple was in existence by 1846, when Maharaja Gulab Singh established the Dharmarth Trust to manage several temples in his territory; the Vaishno Devi temple was part of this trust. The trust remained in the hands of Gulab Singh's descendants after independence, and his descendant Karan Singh was responsible for administering the temple as the hereditary trustee until 1986, when Jagmohan, then governor of Jammu and Kashmir, passed legislation transferring control of the Vaishno Devi temple from the Dharmarth Trust and the hereditary priests to a separate Shrine Board.

Legends

The temple, at a height of is 12 km from Katra on Trikuta hill. It is about 61 km from Jammu city. A geological study of the Holy Cave has indicated its age to be nearly a million years. There is also a mention of the Trikuta hill in Rigveda, the place where the temple is located.

The ''Mahabharata'', which gives the account of the Pandavas and the Kurukshetra War, does mention the worship of goddess Vaishno Devi. Before the Kurukshetra War Arjuna is said to have worshipped Durga by the advice of Lord Krishna for the blessings. Pleased by his devotion, Mother Goddess appeared in front of him in the form of Vaishno Devi. When goddess appeared, Arjuna started praising her with a stotra, in which a Shloka goes by saying ‘ ''Jambookatak Chityaishu Nityam Sannihitalaye'' ’, which means ‘you who always dwell in the temple on the slope of the mountain in Jambhu’ probably referring to the present day Jammu. Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Jagmohan says, "the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine is an ancient one whose antiquity is pre-Mahabharathan, Lord Krishna is believed to have advised Arjuna to go up in the hills of 'Jambhu' and seek the blessings of Vaishno Devi before taking up arms in the battlefield. 'Jambhu' is identified with present-day Jammu. Arjuna while worshipping Vaishno Devi, calls her highest yogi who is free from decrepitude and decay, who is the Mother of the Vedas and the Science of Vedanta and who is giver of Victory and personification of victory itself". It is also generally believed that the Pandavas were the first to build the temples at Kol Kandoli and Bhawan in reverence and gratitude for the Mother Goddess. On a mountain, just adjacent to the Trikuta Mountain and overlooking the Holy Cave are five stone structures, which are believed to be the rock symbols of the five Pandavas.

The discovery of the shrine by Pandit Shridhar

While various versions of the origin and legend of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi are prevalent, there is unanimity on the discovery of Shrine around 700 years back by the Pandit Shridhar, at whose place Mata Vaishno had helped organize a Bhandaara. When she left amidst the Bhandaara to escape Bhairon Nath, Pandit Shridhar is said to have felt as if he had lost everything in his life. He felt immense grief and gave up the intake of food or even water and closed himself in a room of his house, fervently praying for Vaishnavi to reappear.

It is then that Mata Vaishnavi appeared in his vision (dream) and told him to search for her at the Holy Cave situated amidst the folds of the Trikuta Mountain. She showed him the way to the Holy Cave and insisted him to break his fast. Pandit Shridhar then went on to discover the Holy Cave in the mountains. Every time he seemed to lose the way, the vision of his dreams reappeared before his eyes and finally he reached his destination. Upon entering the Cave he found a rock form with three heads atop it. At that moment Mata Vaishno Devi appeared before him in all her glory (another version says that the Supreme Energies of Mata Maha Saraswati, Mata Maha Lakshmi and Mata Maha Kali appeared in the Holy Cave) and introduced him to the three heads (now known as the Holy Pindies) of the rock form along with various other identification marks in the Holy Cave. She blessed him with a boon of four sons and a right to worship her manifestation and asked him to spread the glory of the Holy Shrine all over. Pandit Shridhar then spent his remaining life in the service of Mata at the Holy Cave.
;The story of Bhairon Nath

It is said that Bhairon Nath, a famous Hindu Tantric, saw the young Vaishno Devi at an agricultural fair and fell madly in love with her. Vaishno Devi fled into Trikuta hills to escape his amorous advances, later she turned into her original form of Durga and cut off his head with her sword in a cave. The place where his severed head fell is now called the Bhairon Ghati, which has a temple dedicated to him.

According to author Manohar Sajnani, some legends hold that the original abode of Vaishno Devi was Ardh Kunwari, a place about 6 km between Katra town and the cave.

Deities

The three icons Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati, all images of Vaishno Devi are worshipped at the temple. The feet of the icons are washed by the water brought from the perennial flowing river Banganga.

Worship

Author Abha Chauhan identifies Vaishno Devi with the power of Vishnu as well as the incarnation of Lakshmi. Author Pintchman identifies with great goddess Mahadevi and says Vaishno Devi contains all powers and is associated with the entire creation as Mahadevi. Author Pintchman also says that, "Pilgrims identify Vaishno Devi with the Goddess Durga Dogras and Punjabis also use the epithet ''Seranwali'', "the Lion-rider" while referring to her. The temple is sacred to both Hindus and Sikhs. Many prominent saints such as Swami Vivekananda have visited the temple.

The temple receives an estimated annual $16 million according to some authors and has received over 1,800 kg of gold, 4,700 kilos of silver, and cash in the last two decades (2000–2020) as donation.

Festivals

The most prominent festivals held at Vaishno Devi Temple are Navaratri, a nine nights festival celebrating Devi's victory over evil demons and Diwali, a festival of lights symbolizing the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

The Navaratri festival is a festival celebrated during the month of Ashvin, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October. The festival lasts for nine nights (ten days); artists from all over the country perform during the function at Vaishno Devi darbar.

Devotees of all faiths and all schools of thought of Hinduism visit the Vaishno Devi Temple.

Administration

The Vaishno Devi Temple was included in the Jammu and Kashmir Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Act No. XVI/1988 and also part of Article 26 of the Constitution of India. The name of the administrating and governing board is the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. There are nine members in the board; all are nominated by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly by Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir is the ex-officio chairman of the board. In 1991, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board management also took the control of Shiv Khori, a famous Shiva temple, but administration of the Shiv Khori temple has since been handed over to a separate shrine board in 2008, namely Shiv Khori Shrine Board, with SMVDSB only serving an ex-officio role.

The following nine members serve in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, as per the latest reconstitution in June 2025:

Activities by SMVDSB

The Shrine Board is responsible for governing and administring the entirety of the Mata Vaishno Devi tracks and temples. The temples under the board include the main Bhawan complex, the Ardhkuwari temple, the Bhairon temple, and the other temples on the tracks.

For pilgrim comfort, the Shrine Board has established multiple guest houses and accommodation facilities. These include the Niharika complex, Aashirwad Bhawan, Trikuta Bhawan, and Shakti Bhawan at Katra. A Spiritual Growth Centre is also run by the Shrine Board in Katra whose facilities include an auditorium, conference hall, amphitheatre, and library. At Bhawan, the shrine board has developed the Kalika Bhawan, Shridhar Bhawan, Gauri Bhawan, Vaishnavi Bhawan, Manokamana Bhawans, Durga Bhawan, etc. for pilgrim accomodation. Multiple other accomodations are run by the board on the tracks, such as the Shubhra Bhawan at Banganga and Bhawans at Ardhkuwari. In Jammu, the Shrine Board has constructed the Kalika Dham, Saraswati Dham, and Vaishnavi Dham near the Jammu Railway Station. The Shrine Board also runs a souvenier and prasad shop at the Jammu airport.

The Shrine Board has also constructed and maintains a sports complex in Katra town, which includes badminton and tennis courts along with a dedicated gymnasium and a sports stadium, which is the largest in Reasi district. The sports complex is well known for producing gifted sportspersons, like Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar, both of whom won bronze medals at the Paris Paralympics in 2024.

The Shrine Board is the patron of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Super Speciality Hospital in Katra, which is run in collaboration with Narayana Healthcare. The Shrine Board also runs a medical college, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence and a nursing institute, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi College of Nursing at Katra town. The Shrine Board also oversees the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University and runs a gurukul for secondary students at Banganga.

The shrine board operates battery vehicle services on the Bhawan-Himkoti-Ardhkuwari route, especially for senior citizens and persons with disabilities who receive special quotas for the service. The shrine board also operates helipads at Sanjhichhat and Panchi on the yatra track and at Katra, allowing pilgrims to reach Bhawan via air. A cablecar service has been in operation since 2018 for transporting pilgrims along the Bhawan-Bhairon route.

The shrine board also operates a nursery for plant conservation and undertakes drives for afforestation of the Trikuta hills. The shrine board also publishes a quarterly newsletter
Trikuta
to apprise the public of its developmental works and on yatra statistics.

The executive tasks of the SMVDSB are conducted by a chief executive officer, additional chief executive officer, joint chief executive officer, deputy chief executive officer, assistant chief executive officers, multiple section heads and managers and supervisors.

See also

* Shiv Khori Temple
*Kheer Bhawani Temple
* Amarnath
*Raghunath Temple
*Sharada Peeth
*Jammu
*Avantiswami Temple

References

Bibliography

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External links

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Hindu temples in Jammu and Kashmir
Katra, Jammu and Kashmir
20th-century Hindu temples
Hindu pilgrimage sites in India
Shakti temples
Lakshmi temples
Hindu cave temples in India
Caves of Jammu and Kashmir