Tucked
deep in the
Trikuta Mountains of Jammu & Kashmir is the cave
shrine of
Vaishno Devi. Much revered by Hindus, the shrine finds
mention in ancient texts like the Vedas. Vaishno Devi is a bustling
religious centre that draws pilgrims all through the year. The shrine is
located 61 km north of Jammu at a height of 5,200 feet above the sea level
and to get there one has to trek 13.5 kms from Katra, 50 kms away from
Jammu. The path can also be traversed on a pony.
Midway to the
shrine is the
Adhkuwari temple, where the Goddess Vaishno is
believed to be have spent nine months on her way to the mountains. Inside
the 100-meter long cave, the shrine is narrow and pilgrims have to walk
through a running stream of cold water called the
Charan Ganga to
get to the sanctum sanctorum. Within, three rock-cut idols of the goddesses,
Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati are venerated under canopies
of silver and gold. Previously the Shrine had only one natural entry cave,
but now two more exit caves have been constructed. The shrine can be visited
all through the year.