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Katra to Mata Vaishno Devi Trek
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Katra to Mata Vaishno Devi Trek - Destination Overview
3. Ardhkuwari - 3rd Point
6. Vaishno Devi Bhawan - Final Point
Mata Vaishno Devi Trekking Details with Each Point
1. Ban Ganga temple - 1st Point
After walking for Three kilometer from Katra, Pilgrims Reach Ban Ganga, It is said that the holy river Ban Ganga sprung from a stone when the goddess shot an arrow on it. She did so because veer langur was thirsty. The goddess washed her hair here so it called Ban Ganga. Pilgrims can also take their bath here to purify themselves. It is here that the slip bought from Katra is shown to move further. This place is around 3 km. from Katra.
vaishnoDeviTrek_1stPoint_BanGanga
2. Charanpaduka - 2st Point
About 1.5 km from Ban Ganga, there is a place where the ‘holy footprints or charanapaduka’ of the goddess is seen on a stone. This place is called charanpaduka.
CharanPaduka_VaishnoDevi
3. Ardhkuwari - 3rd Point
Now comes the half-way point between Katra and the shrine. This place is called ardh kuwari and many pilgrims stay here overnight to take rest. The goddess had hid herself for about nine months here in cave called garbha joon. It is 15 m long cave and the pilgrims have to crawl inside it to cross it. It is 4.5 km from charanpaduka.
Ardhkuwari-temple-Vishno-Devi-Trek-3rdpoint
4. Hathi Mattha - 4th Point
After ardh kuwari, the pigrims have to cross very steep paths for about 2.5km. This increasing slope is called the Hathi Mattha ascent. This is so called as the mountain is shaped like the forehead of an elephant.
HathiMatha_VaishnoDeviTrek-4th point
5. Sanjhi Chatt - 5th Point
The footpath is a better option than the stairs here. It takes another 15, 00 ft climb to reach the Sanjhi chatt. From the Sanjhi chatt, the cave is at a distance of 4 km. very close to the Vaishno Devi caves is the Sri Ram temple where the pilgrims climb 125 steps downstairs to pay their homage to a Shiva lingam situated here.
6. Vaishno Devi Bhawan - Final Point
Then finally the devotees reach this beautiful cave where the goddess is present in the form of three pindis. ‘Maha saraswati, maha laxmi and maha kaali,’ are the three forms of the mother durga. It here the demon Bhairon was slain by the goddess.
Vaishno Devi Darshan
7. Bharon Ghati and Bhairav Temple - On Return
After visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine, it is the custom for pilgrims to visit the bhairav temple situated about 2.5 km from the main shrine. This is the final destination of the Yatra. It is believed that the goddess fulfils the desires of her devotees who visit this temple after paying homage to her. So the Yatra is a very hard climb for the pilgrims though pleasant.
