01The katha of the Trikuta
The katha sung by the pilgrims: the Devi took birth as a girl named Vaishnavi to do tapas for Bhagwan Vishnu. Bhairon Nath pursued her up the mountain. She rested in a narrow cave for nine months, Ardh Kuwari, as a child rests in the womb, and then went on to the cave at the top, where she took the form of the three pindis and beheaded Bhairon. Forgiven at his death, Bhairon asked that his own darshan complete the yatra, which is why pilgrims climb on to the Bhairon temple afterwards. Pandit Shridhar, a devotee of the Devi, is remembered as the one who found the cave again.
02The yatra today
From Katra the path climbs about 12 km to the Bhawan at roughly 1,580 metres, past Banganga, Charan Paduka and Ardh Kuwari. Pilgrims shout "Jai Mata Di" on the climb at every hour of the day and night. Since 1986 the shrine has been run by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, which built the new tunnels into the cave, the battery-car track and the helipad at Sanjhichhat. In recent years close to a crore of pilgrims have come in a single year.
The life of this place
- 1986 CEThe Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board takes over the shrine’s management.
Register for a yatra slip at Katra (railhead Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra); Navratri in Chaitra and Ashvin is the busiest season.
